Cinema Verbi

Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt dive into the Pixar universe to break down themes of anxiety and sense of self in this year’s Inside Out 2, the highest-grossing animated film of all time and sequel to the 2015 hit Inside Out. Our hosts draw parallels between the other emotions’ efforts to rein in Anxiety (the character) and the Christian understanding that anxiety (the emotion) is not from God. They also discuss the movie’s assertion that a person’s sense of self is rooted in core memories and beliefs, similar to the Christian perspective of our identity being rooted in our relationship with God.

(0:28) Our hosts greet each other and talk about some of the films they’ve seen recently. Fr. Brian playfully teases Fr. Matt for being “on the jumpy side” when watching scary movies. Then, they introduce today’s topic: Inside Out 2, the highest-grossing animated film of all time and sequel to the 2015 hit Inside Out.

(3:53) Fr. Matt provides a synopsis of Inside Out, the story of a young girl named Riley who is guided through life by five anthropomorphized emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust. Both Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian liked Inside Out better than its sequel, which adds a few more emotions to the mix: Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui, and–for just a moment–Nostalgia. They discuss how the existence of these new emotions, and the ways they interact with each other, impact the world building set by the original film.

(10:46) After a brief interlude to revisit Fr. Matt’s tendency toward jumpiness in the theater, our hosts discuss one of the new world building elements introduced in the film: Riley’s memories grow into her beliefs, which together form her sense of self. At the beginning of the movie, her sense of self is, “I am a good person.” With the arrival of Anxiety, this sense of self is lost and replaced with, “I am not good enough.”

(16:55) Fr. Matt shares his 7-year-old cousin’s take on the film’s message: “We can’t let anxiety have control.” This opens the door to a discussion about the Christian understanding that anxiety is not from God, a teaching that is reflected in the film as the other characters work to control Anxiety and prevent her from controlling Riley.

(25:10) Fr. Brian talks about the movie’s assertion that a person’s sense of self is rooted in core memories and beliefs, comparing it to the Christian perspective of our identity being rooted in our relationship with God. He and Fr. Matt highlight some of the more clever world building elements from the film, including the “Sarchasm,” a chasm inside Riley’s mind that transforms genuine speech into sarcastic taunts. 

(29:36) Fr. Matt says the film is missing the idea of virtue driving our actions. Both hosts agree that they’d love to see a film similar to the Inside Out franchise featuring characters modeled after faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. Fr. Brian suggests the Prudence character would lead the way, like Joy does in the existing films.

(31:58) Our hosts rank Inside Out 2 using their “seeds of the word” rating, based on how clearly they saw goodness, truth, and beauty reflected in the story. They conclude the episode by sharing their all-time favorite Pixar movies.

[Editor's note: This podcast episode was recorded over the summer, before the recent hurricanes impacting areas in the southern U.S. The Archdiocese of Detroit offers its prayers for all those impacted and invites the faithful to visit catholiccharitiesusa.org to learn about ways to help.]

On this episode of Cinema Verbi, Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt talk about Twisters, a standalone sequel to the 1996 summer blockbuster, Twister. The duo discusses the film’s parallels to the Book of Job and the importance of looking for God in the “storms” of life and facing challenges with faith, humility, and charity. They close the episode with a game of Tempest of the Two Testaments, testing Fr. Matt’s knowledge of biblical plagues, earthquakes, and whirlwinds. Editor’s note: The conversation includes major spoilers from throughout the film.

(0:26) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian greet each other and share the most recent movie they’ve seen. Both movies are sequels: Inside Out 2 (Fr. Matt) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Fr. Brian). They note the prevalence today of remakes and sequels, with fewer original stories being told. They segue into introducing the film for this episode: Twisters, fittingly a standalone sequel to the 1996 summer blockbuster, Twister. 

(8:39) Fr. Brian recalls seeing the original Twister at a drive-in theater and being terrified by the scene in which a drive-in theater is destroyed by a tornado. They lay out the plot of the film, which follows a woman named Kate Cooper who is grieving the loss of her friends in a previous storm. Our hosts pause to discuss previous movies that have featured the stars of Twisters, including Clue, Home Alone 2, Titanic, and Top Gun: Maverick. 

(16:31) Fr. Brian points out some thematic parallels between Twisters and the Old Testament’s Book of Job, with both stories raising the question of evil–or why bad things happen to good people. Fr. Brian also sees in Twisters a glimpse of the scriptural lesson to look for God even in the storms of life, learning from those experiences to help others.

(21:32) Our hosts talk about how the characters in the film try to tame the tornadoes and save lives–although some have additional motivations driving their research. Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt look at the “man vs. nature” theme of the film, in which the characters learn as much as they can about the tornadoes in order to harness and control their destructive power. Finally, Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt see in Kate’s reluctance to go home to Oklahoma a reflection of the theological idea of exitus et reditus, in which everything comes from God (exitus), turns away from God, and ultimately returns to God in some way (reditus).

(33:03) Fr. Brian challenges Fr. Matt to a game of Tempest of the Two Testaments, quizzing him on the biblical plagues, the story of Elijah, earthquakes in the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus calming the storm at sea, and the storm that shipwrecked St. Paul. They then close the episode by each giving the film a “seeds of the word” rating, based on how clearly they saw goodness, truth, and beauty reflected in the story.

On this episode of Cinema Verbi, Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt explore the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, set 300 years after the series’ previous installment and featuring opposing clans of apes. Our hosts find parallels between the Catholic faith and the film’s portrayal of community life, interpretation of teachings found in historic texts, the hope for mercy and forgiveness, and more. Editor’s note: The conversation includes major spoilers from throughout the film.

(0:30) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian greet each other and discuss early feedback they’ve received from listeners of the Cinema Verbit podcast. Both agree that talking about the “seeds of Scripture” in secular movies is a useful shallow entry into a discussion of faith. They segue into introducing the film for this episode: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is the fourth installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot series and tenth film overall.

(4:04) Neither Fr. Matt nor Fr. Brian had seen any of the three previous films in the reboot series, so they watched those films in preparation for Kingdom. However, they think the new movie has enough context that viewers new to the franchise will be able to follow the plot. They briefly discuss the setting for the newer film and give a refresher about how apes became sentient at the beginning of the series.

(8:04) Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt discuss parallels between the film’s plot and some familiar Biblical themes, including a sense of “religious fealty” toward a historical figure, tension between nomadic peoples and city dwelling societies, and prophetic figures helping to interpret the knowledge found in historic texts. The characters in this movie have different ways of interpreting the teachings and legacy of Caesar, an ape who lived long ago, just as the Gospels tell us about the different reactions to Jesus’ earthly ministry.

(22:41) Our hosts segue into looking at “seeds of the Word,” or how they see God’s word planted in the film. In Kingdom, they appreciated the distinctions between two interpretations of Caesar’s legacy, as well as the strong emphasis within the Bird Clan on the beauty of family and living harmoniously with God’s creation. 

(27:46) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian note that while earlier films presented a clear dichotomy between humans and apes, this film zeroes in on the apes themselves and leaves the viewer wondering which apes are “good” and which are “evil.” As the events of the film unfold, it is not always clear whose intentions are pure and who is motivated by greed and self-interest.

(35:59) Our hosts revisit a point earlier in the film during which the characters discover a telescope and are able to see the stars in a way they’ve never seen them before. This leads to a brief discussion about a short-lived program at the University of Kansas during which students studied the classics while also regularly gathering to look at the sky. The program was eventually disbanded after a number of students converted to Catholicism while enrolled in the course. Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian discuss the connection between being connected with the beauty of God’s creation and subsequently having faith in Him.

(39:50) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian rate the film in two ways: First, they offer a “seed” rating based on how clearly they saw goodness, truth, and beauty reflected in the film. Then, they give a standard rating based on their enjoyment and also rank where this film ranks for them in the reboot series.

On this episode of Cinema Verbi, Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian discuss what they consider one of the best films of last year, “The Holdovers.” They recognize the cast members' performances and what they appreciate about this film set in a 1970s all-male boarding school. They unpack the theme of fatherhood found in the film and how it contains some truths that can be applied to our own relationships with God the Father. 

(00:30) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian introduce the film they’ll discuss on this month’s episode, “The Holdovers” highlighting the critical acclaim it received in 2023. 

(03:04) They briefly discuss the plot and setting of the story. They talk about how the setting of boys in boarding school is reminiscent of their time as seminarians at Sacred Heart Major Seminary and some important context regarding the main characters. 

(17:51) After unpacking the plot and some characters’ experiences, they begin to identify some of the seeds of the Word found within this film. They discuss the way Paul’s atheism is presented in a religious context, juxtaposed with Mary’s faith. 

(20:06) They discuss the father-son dynamic, which is woven throughout the film, highlighting its connection to our Christian faith. They also discuss how the characters illustrate the importance of how the past can inform the way we live today. 

(23:05) They discuss the role that Scripture plays in our own understanding of who we are today and highlight the ways in which the New Testament fulfills what’s found in the Old Testament. 

(25:08) They talk about the tender moment of redemption found at the end of the story when Paul covers for Angus and is immediately dismissed from his job at the school. They unpack the significance of a moment that carries home the theme of fatherhood and the importance of looking to our fathers to understand who we are in his eyes. 

(30:45) They continue to unpack our relationship with God the Father and the importance of knowing our identity in his eyes in light of our Baptism. They also highlight the way this film depicts the beauty of tradition and the way tradition is passed down.

(32:56) They talk about Paul stealing the headmaster’s liquor, how many boarding schools existed in the United States in the 1970s, and the Oscar award the film received along with its various nominations. They each give their “seed” ranking for the movie and wrap up the episode.

On this episode of Cinema Verbi, Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt dive into the futuristic universe of Dune. They share some of their critical views on the films and unpack the commentary on religion, power, and control found in the narrative. They discuss where they find truth, goodness, and beauty in the movies and also note some important distinctions between religion found in these stories versus the life of the disciple. 

(01:00) Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian introduce this month’s topic: Dune, Parts 1 and 2. They share about their familiarity with the books written by Frank Herbert and briefly describe the universe in which the movies take place. They also share the main premise and key plot points of the narrative. 

(08:03) They both share their initial reactions to seeing Dune for the first time. They mention the potential for more movies in this franchise, given that there are more books in the series. They highlight the actors and their performances, share important terminology in the films, and discuss where they find the good, true, and beautiful in the movies. 

(14:01) They highlight the role of the religious leaders in the film, the Bene Gesserit, and discuss the origin of their name as coming from the term “Jesuit.” They discuss Frank Herbert’s choice for this title and what it implies about his perspective on religion and religious leaders. 

(16:12) Fr. Brian notes the overtones of call and vocation he finds in the film and draws parallels to the sacrament of Baptism. They discuss various plot points and the themes of good, evil, power, and control found in the narrative.

(20:46) They contrast the religious figures found in the film who seek power and control with those who faithfully live out the Christian faith, highlighting the life of sacrifice, humility, and even suffering found in Christianity. They discuss the fact that themes of love and sacrifice also seem to be missing. 

(25:14) They discuss some of the choices Frank Herbert made that highlight his criticisms of religion, and the way in which authentic discipleship differs from his portrayal of religion as purely a pursuit of power. 

(27:18) Both give their “seed rating” on the movies, sharing what they liked about the movies. 

(29:05) Fr. Brian challenges Fr. Matt to a game of “Dune or Deuteronomy,” in which Fr. Matt must determine whether a short phrase came from Dune or the original Hebrew text of Deuteronomy. 

(35:34) They give a short preview into next month’s episode, which will be on The Holdovers, a favorite of both Fr. Matt and Fr. Brian. 

On this inaugural episode of Cinema Verbi, Fr. Brian Meldrum and Fr. Matt Hood, priests of the Archdiocese, get together to share some of the inspiration behind the podcast, why it’s called “Cinema Verbi” in the first place, and their favorite films. Both share their favorite movies, unpacking why he is drawn to each film and citing some of the “seeds of the Word” found in them. 

(00:27) Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt introduce themselves, sharing about their roles as priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit and their shared love for movies. They share a bit about why they decided to start this podcast and how they selected the name. They highlight how the seeds of the Gospel can be found in culture and how they seek to find them in the movies they enjoy. 

(08:56) They share that the goal of this particular podcast is to look more deeply at the meaning of films and the seeds of the Word found in them, not purely offering critical reviews of movies. They draw a parallel between the interpretation of Scripture and the interpretation of films, noting the primacy of the literal sense. 

(13:34) Fr. Brian and Fr. Matt introduce the topic for their first episode: their favorite movies. Fr. Brian shares about going to the movies weekly with his friends as a young person before diving into his favorite movies. 

(18:53) Fr. Brian also shares his love for musical theater, and the two discuss the value of having an active theater program to participate in at the seminary.

(21:35) Fr. Brian discusses his favorite movies: The Pirates of the Caribbean, Fiddler on the Roof, and Indiana Jones: the Last Crusade. 

(28:37) Fr. Matt discusses his favorite movies, Life is Beautiful and Babette’s Feast, unpacking the plots of both and why he is drawn to them. 

(43:10) The two wrap up this episode and share their enthusiasm for all that’s to come in this season of Cinema Verbi! 

Discover what’s found between the silver screen and the sacred! Each month on Cinema Verbi, Fr. Matt Hood and Fr. Brian Meldrum, priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit, discuss a popular film and unpack the truth, goodness, and beauty found within it. Listen to find the seeds of God’s Word in the movies you love.