For Now We See

In news this week, we reflect on the passing of Terry Jones and how Christians have responded to The Life of Brian over the years. We touch on Bond news, Ghibli coming to UK Netflix, and Hollywood using AI to predict blockbuster success.

Then, it's a war movie special - but why are audiences (and Christians!) so into them?

We review Taika Waititi's Jojo Rabbit, and think about what the Bible has to say about satire.

Then, it's box-office topper 1917. We talk about broken bodies, the futility of war, and how powerful films still have to use Christianity to create their most profound moments.

Awards season is here, so there's plenty to talk about in the news!

We talk about this year's Golden Globes, including Ricky Gervais' hosting and its other controversies.

Then, we discuss the return of Doctor Who, and why Rhys doesn't watch it any more.

Then we move on to Netflix's comedy-drama divorce movie Marriage Story and the BBC's new Dracula adaptation, and discover some unexpected similarities between the two!

With news quiet at the turn of the year, we do a quick recap of 2019's best movies (i.e. Avengers: Endgame).

Then, we review Netflix's The Two Popes, discussing why Protestants should still be interested in a movie like this, and how the film addresses pressing questions for any church in the 21st century.

We also dig into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and the virtue of a happy ending, with a lot of help from CS Lewis!

Mentioned in the Episode:
"Surprised By Joy" by CS Lewis
"Dedication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by CS Lewis
"Star Wars and the Typological Imagination" by Rhys Laverty

A mini-episode special reviewing the BBC's three-part adaptation of "A Christmas Carol", produced for Christmas 2019, starring Guy Pearce and Andy Serkis.

Is this a harsh, secular retelling, devoid of a God to forgive Ebenezer Scrooge? Is it a refreshing reinterpretation for the sins of our age? Can you watch it with your mum and dad? And does it show that Dickens' original is more full of the gospel than we ever thought?

Listen in as we discuss all that and more!

Our second ever episode is a Christmas special. Nothing if not ambitious, right?

In the news, we talk about December's big trailers, and peek ahead to Christmas TV.

Then, we ask "what makes a Christmas movie?" and how should Christians feel about them, before reviewing Netflix's new original Klaus and holiday rom-com Last Christmas (the Wikipedia plot synopsis of which was enough to make one of us well up).

Along the way, we discuss Christmas dinner at George's house, and ruin the Santa myth for both young and old as we discover that St Nicholas did not in fact punch a heretic in the face.

NOTE: we're sorry about some problems with Rhys' mic - it drops out at points. We have amplified it where possible, though this makes the audio a bit uneven sometimes. This is a problem that didn't come up in our audio test - we think it was a connection that came loose whilst recording. We will fix for next time!

Things Mentioned:
Hark! The Biography of Christmas by Paul Kerensa

Defending Constantine by Peter Leithart

Did St Nicholas of Myra/Santa Claus Punch Arius in the Face at the Council of Nicea? by Roger Pearse

Dominion by Tom Holland

Our first proper episode!

We kick-off talking about trailers set to drop this month, and George's James Bond themed Jamaican holiday.

We then review new murder-mystery Knives Out with some help from GK Chesterton, and speculate on why Hollywood has embraced CGI de-aging as we review Martin Scorcese's The Irishman.

RE: SPOILERS - we will warn you in the episode when spoilers are coming up!

In order to avoid:

Knives Out spoilers are discussed between 00:36:15 - 00:43:30
The Irishman spoilers are discussed from 01:09:15-01:18:50

Articles Mentioned:
Forbes - "Box Office: Joker Cracks $1Billion" - https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/11/15/box-office-joker-tops-1-billion/#2c5d0c3d49dc

Screenrant - "Tom Hanks Never Plays the Bad Guy" - https://screenrant.com/tom-hanks-always-cast-good-never-bad-why/

Peter Hitchens - "The Philip Pullman Dilemma" - https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/11/the-philip-pullman-dilemma

GK Chesterton - "A Defence of Detective Stories" - https://www.chesterton.org/a-defence-of-detective-stories/

Welcome to For Now We See!

We're a film journalist (George) and a Bible college student (Rhys), trying to have thoughtful conversations about movies and TV from a Christian perspective.

This is a little intro about who we are, and what kind of show we hope this will be.

Hope that's alright!