For Now We See

We're back from our summer break with special guest Nev Pierce - and this episode was a lot of fun to record!

Having spent most of his career as a film journalist (Empire, Total Film, and more), a few years ago Nev started directing. His four short films (most recently Bricks) have been praised by the likes of director David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network).

Listen in as we talk to Nev about his Christian faith, his work, and his penchant for horror.

Shownotes
Website: http://www.nevillepierce.com/
Short Film: Bricks
Other Shorts: Ghosted, Lock In, Promise
Film Competition: The Pitch

In the news, we discuss the end of old Hollywood with the death of Olivia de Haviland (Gone With The Wind) aged 104, release dates for Tenet, and delays for the many (many) Avatar sequels.

Then, we pick apart surprise hit The Old Guard (Netflix) - a comic book adaptation starring Charlize Theron as the leader of a group of immortal warriors, discussing sci-fi portrayals of immortality, how Christians meet death, and whether or not the world is getting better.

We then review Greyound (Apple TV+), discussing Tom Hanks' surprisingly good portrayal of a Christian naval captain, reflecting on prayer and the Protestant view of vocation. It's definitely worth getting the week long free trial of Apple TV+!

In the news, delays and more delays again!

Then, we make a pitch for Netflix's Dark - a truly brilliant German time-travel drama. If you're not sold on it, or not aware of it, give us 20 minutes to change your mind and explain why it's worth very much worth watching if you're a Christian.

After that, we dive into an extended review of all three seasons, picking apart the themes of free will vs. determinism, Ecclesiastes and eschatology, how sin spreads across the generations, the surprising amount of Christian imagery, and how we feel about the ending...

Timestamps
00:00 - 06:08 - News
06:23 - 23:28 - Dark pitch
24:42 - end - Dark review

Shownotes
Straw Dogs by John Gray (on the myth of progress)

Instead of news this week, we respond to a listener's email.

In reviews, we discuss surprise gameshow hit Floor is Lava (Netflix), wondering why Christians like games like this.

Then we dig into Will Ferrell's Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix) and have a think about small towns, big cities... and elves.

And the main event is of course Hamilton (Disney+). We talk about underdog stories,  forgiveness, and how the show handles race.

Timings
Intro and Listener Email - 00:00-11:01
Floor is Lava - 11:15-24:08
Eurovision - 24:22-39:57
Hamilton - 40:11-end

This week in the news, we discuss the deaths of Ian Holm and Joel Schumacher, the resurrection of Michael Keaton, and whether Mel Gibson will make it into Chicken Run 2.

Then, we review Kenneth Brannagh's "Artemis Fowl" (Disney+), discussing Christian theories of fairytales and why Disney seem to be afraid of original sin.

After that, it's Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix). We talk about reparations, the black church, and how even victims fall prey to greed.

In the news, we chat about cinemas reopening and Brendan Gleeson playing Donald Trump.

Then, we have an unplanned review of the BBC's The Salisbury Poisonings - a three part dramatisation of events surrounding the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, UK in 2018. Coming out mid-pandemic, it made for very interesting viewing! We discuss the death of expertise, the fear of contagion, and why only Christianity helps us make sense of grieving the loss of even a single life.

In this week's news, we talk about things being pulled from streaming services due to outdated and offensive content.

Then, we review Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life, based on the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian Roman Catholic farmer who was executed for refusing to swear the oath of allegiance to Hitler. The film only had a small release earlier this year, and had just become available on streaming services. A powerful, challenging story about faith and conscience, which is incredibly relevant to Christians in these troubled times.

This week, we interview special guest (and friend of the podcast) James Cary, talking about sitcoms from a Christian perspective.

James is a professional comedy writer, writing for TV (Miranda, Bluestone 42) and radio, as well as working with stand-up comedian Milton Jones. He's written a number of books, most recently The Sacred Art of Joking (SPCK 2019), and hosts a bunch of podcasts (including Cooper and Cary Have Words, Sitcom Geeks, and Popcorn Parenting). He also sits on the Synod of the Church of England.

We talk about his path into comedy, why the sitcom is a "Christian" genre and how it's changing in a post-Christian world, and what his most recent book has to say about it all.

Shownotes
James Cary's Website
The Sacred Art of Joking (book - published by SPCK)
Cooper & Cary Have Words (podcast)
Hello Mormonism (podcast)
The Inquisition (podcast)
Popcorn Parenting (podcast)
Sitcom Geeks (podcast)
The God Particle (play)

In the news, we can't believe it: THE SNYDER CUT HAS BEEN RELEASED. But the Oscars are probably cancelled or delayed. Swings and roundabouts!

Then, we spend a lot more time than we thought we would reviewing The Mandalorian - Disney+'s flagship launch show, and the first live-action Star Wars TV series.

After asking "is it good Star Wars?" we get into themes of the Western genre, fatherhood and family, religious tradition, and wonder whether Disney's Star Wars hubris has gone too far.

In a timely interview for lockdown, this week we had the pleasure of interviewing Dan Strange. Dan is College Director at Oak Hill Theological College, and last year published Plugged In: Connecting Your Faith With What You Watch, Read, and Play.

We discuss Dan's book, and how Christians should think about culture: what is it? Do Christians just "engage" it, or are we part of it? Why are we so bad at making it? And how can we be thoughtful about what we're consuming during lockdown?

Shownotes
Plugged In by Daniel Strange