For Now We See

In the news, we talks about Taika Waititi's Star Wars movie, Tiger King adaptations, and how coronavirus might affect how we watch films forever.

Then, in honour of the release of After Life Season 2 (Netflix), we have a Ricky Gervais special. As a very outspoken atheist, we have a great time tracing the big themes running through his work (The Office, Extras, Derek, The Invention of Lying) from a Christian perspective--rejoicing in the good, and picking apart the not-so-good. Then, we review After Life.

Welcome to our Studio Ghibli special! 

We introduce and give background on the highly acclaimed Japanese animation studio, suggest which films to start with if you're not already a fan, and then dig into the films' big themes of environmentalism, pacificism, and strong female characters.

Shownotes

• Ghibliotheque: A Podcast About Studio Ghibli
• "Why We Should Jettison the 'Strong Female Character' - Part 1" by Alastair Roberts
• "Why We Should Jettison the 'Strong Female Character' - Part 2" by Alastair Roberts

There's some actual news to cover this week! Sam Raimi is directing Doctor Strange 2, Tom Hardy's Capone is coming straight to streaming, JJ Abrams has announced a new project, and Graham Norton is a bit awkward without an audience.

Then, we explore the excess of Netflix's Tiger King, reasonable doubt in Quiz, and the possible future of cinema in The Iron Mask--a bizarre Russo-Chinese blockbuster with Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Intro and News - 00:00-20:55
The Iron Mask - 21:11-34:56
Tiger King - 35:11-01:06:13
Quiz - 1:06:28-end

Shownotes

• "Tiger King and the Real America" Presbycast (podcast episode)
• Twitter thread recreating Charles Ingram's questions
• Final Answer (podcast)
• Joe Exotic: Tiger King (podcast)

We have a quick chat about release date for this week, but that's just preamble to the main event.

Conveniently, lockdown life coincided with the arrival of Disney+ here in the UK. There's a LOT to watch and a LOT to talk about.

We discuss how Christian parents approach princess movies, God-given imagination in Disney+ documentary The Imagineering Story, why we all (used to) love The Simpsons, dog movies, Meghan Markle and elephants, and hidden gems!

And we're back for our first proper episode since the COVID-19 lockdown began.

In the news, basically EVERYTHING IS CANCELLED--but there's new stuff on streaming, and big earners in Hollywood are forgoing their salaries.

We then have a spoiler-free discussion about Westworld (Sky/HBO/NowTV) - a show with big themes of artificial intelligence, humanity, and entertainment. Season 3 started a few weeks ago, but we mainly discuss Seasons 1-2.

Then we review (spoiler-free) the BBC's recent adaptation of Malorie Blackman's Noughts + Crosses, discussing race, power, and empire, and how Christians can think about all of them.

Timings
Intro and News: 00:00-19:45
Westworld: 20:02-42:49
Noughts + Crosses: 43:03-end

Stuff Mentioned
The City of God in the Coronavirus by Rhys

Christian Resources on Artificial Intelligence by Prof. John Wyatt

A quick update on what's been happening with us during the Covid-19 crisis and our plans in the months ahead.

While the cinemas are still open, Episode #10 is here! Apologies for some mic trouble - we're trying to get it sorted.

In the news, we discuss coronavirus delaying Bond, Spielberg pulling out of Indiana Jones 5 and Taika Waititi's new Netflix deal.

We review Escape from Pretoria (Daniel Radcliffe), based on a true story of an apartheid jailbreak, and have a special interview with director Francis Annan about his Christian faith.

Then, we review Pixar's Onward, discussing masculinity and grief.

A very full episode today!

In the news, we have some belated Oscar reactions (including Donald Trump's) and wonder if the Academy is beginning to break its safe, predictable habit of Best Picture winners.

Then, in TV, we review the BBC adaptation of The Pale Horse (Rufus Sewell), discussing evangelical stereotypes, witchcraft, and the time Agatha Christie wrote to the Pope. We also review The Righteous Gemstones and whether it's an effective satire about prosperity televangelists.

In film, we review Birds of Prey and ponder the ethics of Warner Bros profit driven DCEU.

And, of course, we discuss Best Picture winner Parasite, and just how close it is to the Bible's presentation of wealth and class.

News - 00:00-14:30
The Pale Horse - 14:44-24:09
The Righteous Gemstones - 24:24-34:31
Birds of Prey - 34:45-48:52
Parasite - 49:09-end

In today's news, we reflect on the life of Kirk Douglas and why Spartacus is still hugely relevant to Christians today (even though Rhys hasn't seen it...)

Then, we discuss David Copperfield and (again!) talk about colour-blind casting.

We review Adam Sandler's Netflix drama Uncut Gems, discussing why we're drawn to fools and their folly, and how the film illustrates the fact we all go from dust to dust.

Then, we get artsy, discussing what The Lighthouse has to say about age, tradition, sex, and church leadership scandals.

NEWS: 00:00-18:50

DAVID COPPERFIELD: 19:04-31:21

UNCUT GEMS: 31:43-49:46

THE LIGHTHOUSE: 50:02-end

This week, we're the Justice League.

First, we answer some of YOUR questions and read out listener emails.

Then, it's a justice special as we review two movies based on real-life injustices. First, Bomshell (Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie) which tells the story of the 2016 Fox News sex scandal; then, Just Mercy (Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx) which follows a young lawyer fighting racism in 1980s Alabama as he fights for men wrongly put on death row.

We discuss foregrounding the voices of victims, how our own church power structures are open to abuse and scandal, and whether Just Mercy does justice to Christianity and the black church.