Category: Movies
I make no apology for deriving most of my personal theology from the movies.
-
The Cabin In The Woods
-
Prometheus vs. Avatar
The planet Pandora has nothing — and I mean nothing — on the little moon SC-223. This place scared the (R-rated expletives) out of me; it was unnerving, frightening, dreadful, in all the ways that Pandora was not.
-
The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming Amongst Friends
I just caught this highly entertaining geek culture documentary short film by Jay Cheel, host of the Documentary Blog podcast, which is one of my favorite podcasts. It’s called “The Politics of Competitive Board Gaming Amongst Friends.”
-
Vicarious entertainment
Pretty much right when we first found out we were pregnant with Iris, I got excited for the future of vicarious entertainment. I’m speaking of sharing great cinematic moments with my kid, allowing me to feel that same wonderment again through her eyes.
-
Documentaries have ruined me
About 15 years ago, I distinctly remember hearing a radio broadcast that was unlike anything I’d heard before. It wasn’t the usual talk show, news, sports, call-in, top 40 type show. It was engaging. It was a well-crafted story, yet non-fictional. It was refreshing in a landscape of RF wasteland. It was my “driveway moment”…
-
Dystopian movies
There’s a special place in my heart for dystopia. I chalk it up to years of pentecostal, end-times, tribulation fervor. Here’s a great list to add to your favorite movie queue: Top 50 Dystopian Movies of All Time
-
The Road
My bro-in-law (he pronounces it “bra”, as per young and colloquially hip) recommended I read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I finally picked up the novel a few weeks ago was glad I did. It was beautiful in its desolation.
-
The way men talk to each other
Gran Torino is a fine film, but it’s as deeply flawed as some of its characters. I can forgive its characters for their foibles, but not its filmmakers.
-
Art docs: prodigies and outsiders
There’s something extremely fascinating about those rare individuals who function on a higher plane, however dysfunctional or detached from the rest of society. The art world, as any other, knows its prodigies and outsiders alike. Here a few good documentaries that cover a wide range of such people.
-
In God We Trust
Back in 2000, I saw a short film by Jason Reitman called In God We Trust. It was the best short film at the USA Film Festival that year.