I have wanted to write about the HBO crime drama series, The Wire, for quite some time now. However, I have been unable to focus on any single point of spiritual entry into a series with such an unimaginable wealth of rich characters and complex scenarios on which to reflect. I also find it difficult to write about television programs as complex as The Wire or Lost because the story lines need to play out. While speculation on the nature... Read more
Of course, I knew I would back track on my list of 2007’s most spiritually significant films and inevitably watch a film on DVD that I missed in theaters that should have made the cut. Like Michael Moore’s Sicko, but for the religious set, Daniel Karslake’s documentary, For the Bible Tells Me So, deals with one of the most pressing, divisive issues facing the Christian church today. The church’s stance(s) on gays and lesbians is a point of contention between... Read more
An Oscar list this is not. There are enough of those floating around magazines and the internet. Below is Pop Theology’s Top 10 Spiritually Significant Films of 2007 with a brief description of why each film made the cut. Feel free to praise, berate, or shrug. (more…) Read more
Faithful Pop Theology reader and movie guru, Ernest Myers, recently created his top 20 (well Top 20 1/2) movie list for 2007. I love how awards season sparks these conversations! I may not necessarily agree with his order, but he certainly has great things to say about each of these films. From 20 (and 1/2) to 1, here they are… (more…) Read more
The Oscar Nominees have been announced, even though the awards show hangs in the balance. Hopefully your favorite movies and performances made the cut. If not, always remember these are bogus anyway. They totally missed Zodiac and left Eddie Vedder out of Best Original Song, giving three nominations to Enchanted, a bit much I think. Read on for more and check back soon for Pop Theology’s Best Of list. (more…) Read more
In my research on the resurgence of contemporary religious cinema in the United States, one film stands out among all the rest. Facing the Giants is an interesting case study not because it is some remarkable film and vastly better than other films like The Nativity Story, One Night With the King, etc. In fact, from a cinematic standpoint, the film is quite awful; however, we must take into consideration that this film was funded, produced, directed, and acted by... Read more
Talk about the relationship between religion, film, and pop culture. Two Welsh brothers have taken it one step further. Follow the link for more. Brothers set up Jedi ‘church’ Apparently, they have a website as well: www.jedichurch.com. Read more
P.T. Anderson’s (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) latest film, There Will Be Blood, opened to mixed, though mainly positive, reviews. A fan of his earlier works, I highly anticipated this film, thanks in no small part to the casting of Daniel Day-Lewis in the lead role as Daniel Plainview, an aspiring oil baron in 1800s western America. As expected, Day-Lewis gave yet another breath-taking performance. I was also intrigued by the other lead character, Eli sunday (a vocal Paul Dano as opposed... Read more
Whoever says there’s nothing good on television must not have a DVD player, a local video store, or access to HBO. Between multiple seasons of The Wire and Extras available on DVD, the writers’ strike be damned. Hot on the heels of their wildly successful, critically acclaimed series, The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant tackle the quest for fame and artistic control in their newest series, Extras, which recently concluded with a Christmas special that aired on both the... Read more
For a class on religion, race, and American film, I watched several movies that dealt with immigrants and non-Christian religions, with the recognition that American religion is anything but monolithic. Nearly all of these films dealt with the tension between immigrant parents and their children (whether born in the United States or not) as the children seek to rectify their parents’ traditional culture with American culture. So once can potentially see films as diverse as The Jazz Singer (1927) and... Read more
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