Reel World Theology

On this episode of the podcast, we focus on 22 Jump Street, the latest offering from now famous duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, The LEGO Movie). This movie represents a genre that is pretty underrepresented on the podcast– the Summer Blockbuster Comedy. This genre can take many forms, but it is often overlooked by people who are looking for “deeper meaning” from films. To further our cause that “Entertainment Is Not Mindless,” we try to lift the veil and see behind the jokes and, of course, point out that everyone needs a good laugh every now and then. This week’s panel included Mark Wingerter and JR Forasteros.

On this episode of the podcast, the first big animated movie of the Summer hits with How To Train Your Dragon 2. Most of the talk was if the sequel could live up to the universally loved original and regardless of where most people landed, the consensus was that this was another solid film. Not only is the animation spectacular but the story tries to go even deeper than we saw before. As Hiccup tries to find his place in the world, he also has to deal with new relationships and older relationships that are changing. As usual, this “kids movie” has more to offer than being a simple cartoon. This week’s panel included Laura Fissel and Griffin Kale.

On this episode of the podcast, our Summer Series continues by looking at the delightfully original Edge of Tomorrow. Even though it’s been compared to a lot of other movies, it doesn’t fit into any one mold. And despite it’s weak box office showing all of us on the show really enjoyed it. Not only did we enjoy it, but it sparked more topics than we had time to cover like time travel, regret, and eternity in Heaven. We also find ourselves trying to help Matt come up with a new Twitter handle. This week’s panel included Matt Anderson and Mark Wingerter.

On this episode of the podcast, we take a look at Angelina Jolie’s return to the live-action big screen in Maleficent. A reinterpretation of the Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent tries to show that there are two sides to every story and sometimes “evil” may not be as evil as once thought. JR Forasteros and Laura Fissel help explain why the critics found their problems but we all found ways to enjoy the movie anyway– and take a lot away from this film. By leaving no doubts about its feminist underpinnings, the film turns out to be one of the most conversation starting films of the year. We also get into many, many, tangents including some of our least favorite films and why we would consider seeing the new Transformers film (seriously!)… This week’s panel included Laura Fissel and JR Forasteros.

On this episode of the podcast, we celebrate the one year anniversary of the Reel World Theology Podcast with a huge panel discussing one of the biggest and most anticipated movies of the year, X-Men: Days of Future Past. The X-Men Universe has always been one of the most obvious stories to discuss the allegory of marginalization found, even today, in society. This film also gives us more developed characters than previous films and that has us wrestling with the themes of regret, fear, hope, and what it's like to be faster than everyone else in the room. This week’s panel included Griffin Kale, Mark Wingerter, and James Harleman.

On this episode of the podcast, Summer 2014 keeps bringing us more comic book movies, so we keep the superhero talk going by looking at the second installment in the Amazing Spider-Man universe. It certainly isn’t quite the same quality as the MARVEL Cinematic Universe, but it does feature MARVEL’s most popular and, to a certain degree, most relatable superhero. In this sequel, Spider-Man’s responsibilities start to seriously affect Peter Parker’s ability to function as a normal guy. From haunting visions of Gwen’s father, to never being anywhere he is supposed to be, Peter struggles with his ever-growing responsibility in both lives. With his relationship with Gwen uncertain and Oscorp finding ways to create new villains, both Peter Parker and Spider-Man may find that though they are extraordinary, they both need help. Identity, tough love, living in the moment, responsibility and the power of choice-- we can certainly cover a lot of ground. This week’s panel included Laura Fissel and Rick Lee James.

On this episode of the podcast, we finally get to experience the latest MARVEL Cinematic Universe offering, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the film, Captain America, the Black Widow and Sam Wilson (also known as The Falcon) join forces to uncover a conspiracy within SHIELD, while facing a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier. For those who have seen the film, you know that this is probably a gross understatement of all the things going on in this movie. With all the underpinning of a top-notch Spy Thriller, this film is multi-layered and arguably the best offering that MARVEL has brought us to date. The narrative itself is dripping with post-9/11 allegory, while also tackling friendship, loyalty, selflessness, and what it means to be a good guy in a bad world. This week’s panel included Griffin Kale and Wade Bearden.

On this episode of the podcast, we are finally sitting down to talk about the Darren Aronofsky directed, Noah. This film has garnered a lot of attention from various religious and non-religious communities for both it’s perceived and actual take on the Old Testament account of Noah. While some of it is warranted, we will try to figure out where the divisions have been and maybe where they should be. From "Rock Monsters" to homicidal prophets to magic forests to all out war on the ark, there are a lot of conversations happening because of this movie and we want to add something positive to it. This week’s panel included Elijah Lovejoy and Father Thomas McKenzie.

On this episode of the podcast, we dive, again, into the world of young adult literature adaptations by conversating about the hugely popular film, Divergent. In the adaptation, up and comer, Shailene Woodley takes on our lead as Tris, who learns she's Divergent and won't fit in to a society that categorizes all it’s citizens into factions. When she discovers a plot to destroy Divergents, Tris and the mysterious Four (played by the surprising Theo James) must find out what makes Divergents dangerous before it's too late. We will give our thoughts on the movie, as an adaptation of the widely popular Young Adult literature genre, and also explore the themes the book very intentionally raises about conformity, human nature, leadership, sacrifice, and identity. This week’s panel included Laura Fissel, and Erienne Jones.

We try to tackle the enormity of A Song of Ice and Fire, or, Game of Thrones to those of you who haven’t had a chance to read the books. IMDB puts it simply by saying that this is about “Seven noble families fighting for control of the mythical land of Westeros.” As fans, we have known it to be so much more. Love, betrayal, violence, power, lust, hatred, revenge… and dragons; it seems to have everything you could want in a story— including an ever-growing and impressive cast. The TV show is heading into it’s 4th season in just a few weeks and it is more popular than ever. We are here to take a look back at the previous 3 seasons and ask some fundamental questions about the show (and the books) popularity, its criticisms from the more conservative side of the isle, and, finally, it’s exploration of the human condition. We do give everyone the disclaimer that even though we have all read further in the books than the 3rd season leaves us, we DO NOT spoil anything coming down the pipes. So, viewers, listen away! This week’s panel included Laura Fissel, Mark Wingerter, and Tim Buress.