Alysa Liu was a standout of this year's Winter Olympics, not only because of her incredible skill, but because of her contagious, authentic joy both on and off the ice. Giancarlo Sopo of the National Review wrote an article titled, "What is a 'Conservative Movie'?" and used subtraction to define it. We can apply the same logic to differentiate between "Christian" and "Religious" movies and what that means for Christian artists. All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:30 Olympic Chat 5:45 Alysa Liu's Contagious Joy 18:14 "What is a 'Conservative Movie'?" 28:05 What is a "Christian" vs. "Religious" Movie? 53:15 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too

MENTIONS:

Alysa Liu and the Contagious Power of Authentic Joy: https://thecollision.org/alysa-liu-and-the-contagious-power-of-authentic-joy/

Why We Need 'Wake Up Dead Man' More Than 'God's Not Dead': https://thecollision.org/why-we-need-wake-up-dead-man-more-than-gods-not-dead/

National Review: https://www.nationalreview.com/2026/02/what-is-a-conservative-movie/

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"The Optimist" comes out with a limited theatrical release on March 11th. See it on the big screen while you can!

0:00 Introduction 0:46 Tell me a little bit about the film and how you got involved 2:15 What was the real life Herbert Heller like? 3:38 Did your background in psychology have a heavy impact on how you approached this film? 5:09 Where did Abbey's storyline come from? 7:07 What led to the choice to approach the story from a modern lens? 10:16 How can viewers support the mission around this movie? 11:27 What do you hope audiences take away from The Optimist? 12:19 Goodbyes and Closing Information

MENTIONS: Support Kavod, "Ensuring Dignity For Holocaust Survivors:" https://kavodensuringdignity.com/

Bring Change 2 Mind: https://www.bringchange2mind.org/

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Film students can longer sit through assigned films! The faith-based film industry has reached a point of equality in quality with Hollywood, but with many emerging streaming platforms it seems we're falling back into habits of isolation. What is the end goal of faith-based entertainment? All of this and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:00 Film Students Can't Watch Films! 12:44 What should the Church do about "second screening" and shortened attention spans? 21:49 What is the end game of faith-based entertainment? 45:32 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too

MENTIONS: The Atlantic Article: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-movies-attention-span/685812/

Faith-Based Entertainment Article: https://thecollision.org/faith-based-entertainment-is-good-now-but-whats-the-endgame/

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The infamous halftime show battle took place this past Sunday in a remarkably anticlimactic fashion. Hollywood is notorious in Christian circles for presenting romantic relationships in toxic, un-Christian ways, but could there be a new shift in topics? And where is dating in the Bible? All that and more on this episode of the Faith and Pop Culture Podcast!

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 1:37 Halftime Show Debrief 17:22 Valentine's Day 20:36 What happened to Rom-Coms? 26:11 Hollywood Romance vs. Biblical Romance 45:50 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too

Fox News interview with TPUSA representative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGKqbRJkg3c

Teens and Screens article: https://thecollision.org/gen-z-is-breaking-the-mold-preferring-films-centering-around-friendship-over-romance/

TPUSA Halftime Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJszMT9wZtQ&list=RDnJszMT9wZtQ&start_radio=1&pp=ygUfYWxsIGFtZXJpY2FuIGhhbGZ0aW1lIHNob3cgMjAyNqAHAQ%3D%3D

NFL Halftime Show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6FuWd4wNd8&list=RDG6FuWd4wNd8&start_radio=1

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It is our first episode of 2026! Today we chat about Jelly Roll's powerful acceptance speech at the Grammys and we look ahead with excitement at the movies to come this year.

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 2:02 Jesus at the Grammys 20:45 Focus on the Good, Not the Bad 29:24 2026 Movies We're Looking Forward To 47:13 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too

Jelly Roll's Acceptance Speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdoMOENFDKQ

Forrest Frank Awards Article: https://thecollision.org/forest-franks-award-show-conviction-is-commendable-but-not-necessarily-a-model-for-christians-to-follow/

Look for the Good Article: https://thecollision.org/teaching-kids-to-appreciate-the-good-in-culture-not-just-avoid-the-bad/

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"It's Not Like That" is available on the Wonder Project subscription on Amazon with new episodes coming out every Sunday.

0:00 Introduction 0:26 What led you to wanting to create a series like this? 2:40 What were your favorite scenes to work on and later see realized? 5:07 Why do you think shows like this aren't on TV anymore? 7:19 How has it been working with Wonder Project? 8:16 What led to the decision of having the main character be a pastor? 9:56 How did you meet and decide you wanting to keep creating with each other? 11:20 What do you hope audiences will take away from this series?

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This is the final episode of the year and it is all things Christmas! How do cultural and religious traditions intertwine? How historically accurate is the traditional manger scene? Is Nyah uneducated when it comes to Christmas movies? All that and more for our farewell to 2025 episode!

TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Introduction 3:00 As Christians, how should we view Christmas as a cultural as well as religious event? 19:21 Is Christmas a pagan holiday and does the root of its date matter? 37:45 Our favorite Christmas songs and movies 46:06 Things Daniel Likes That You Should Like, Too

Lifeway Article: https://research.lifeway.com/2025/12/11/7-christmas-stats-you-should-know/?carid=e18c176b-e27e-4327-bd59-daebd6d7f3fc&profile=lifewayresearch&network=twitter

Wes Huff's Post: https://www.facebook.com/WesLivingstoneHuff/posts/pfbid09Rjf68fW8wbrTAnDa8VEUw2wb7U786hPPLgdHJGB1px9ekjYEieWb7gbCryzvKb7l?rdid=UYXIX0kOdzabbMYL

Redeemer Presbyterian's Lessons and Carols: https://open.spotify.com/album/74wtAchxDzlpMGlTzvojTk?si=5VIfaC-zTXCFesF3adR-pQ

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The first episode of Actor and Producer David Henrie's newest series "Seeking Beauty" premieres January 19th, 2026 on EWTN+ and YouTube!

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction 0:55 Where did your inspiration from this project come from? 3:17 What has beauty meant in your own walk with God? How can beauty point towards God? 6:10 Why do you think our modern culture undervalues beauty? 9:07 How should the church navigate the tension of creating something different from the world yet remaining part of the conversation? 11:22 What are some lessons you learned while searching for beauty that you can integrate into everyday life? 14:00 What do you hope the audience takes away from this series?

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In the second to last episode of the year, we talk about the implications that come with Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros., dive deep into the newest "Knives Out" film, and more!

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction, We Dropped the Ball! 2:37 Netflix's Newest Acquisition 17:45 Discussing Knives Out 3 46:30 Things Nyah Likes That You Should Like, Too

MENTIONS: Netflix Acquisition: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-to-acquire-warner-bros Ted on Barbenheimer: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/ted-sarandos-barbie-oppenheimer-netflix-streaming-1236016921/ Ted's Saving Hollywood: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/netflix-ceo-ted-sarandos-movie-theaters-outdated-1236376565/ The Pope's Speech: https://thecollision.org/pope-leo-xiv-urges-hollywood-filmmakers-to-make-cinema-an-art-of-the-spirit/ Rian Johnson Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l4n2PQ6NfE

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Writer and Director Rian Johnson's newest film, "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" comes out on Netflix on December 12, 2025.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Introduction 0:40 What is the genesis of your creative process? 2:15 Did Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories influence this film at all? 3:22 How did your Christian childhood influence this story? 5:50 How important to you was remaining authentic to faith while creating this film? 7:46 Why is the contrast between a warrior and a shepherd so important to the story? 10:06 Why is storytelling so important to humanity? 12:00 What do you hope audiences take away from this film? What makes this film, in your eyes, a success?

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