Reel World Theology

On this episode of the show we explore one of the greatest movies in the Verse’, Serenity. This Joss Whedon film is beloved of fans and the sic-fi community in general. It is the culmination of a one season series called Firefly, also by Joss Whedon — heck, if you do not know this or have not seen it, please, go watch it, you will not regret it. It may possibly be the best TV show ever made, and I do not say that lightly. Since Serenity is not a new film, it has been viewed, reviewed, and dissected by nearly everyone, and will be again, by this show!

Grab your crossbows, axes, baseball bats and any firearms you can get your hands on! We expand our reviewing prowess to a different medium, Television. And of course, we do not sneak to the edge of the water and dip our toe into a new medium, we dive head first by taking on The Walking Dead — a show that is about a sherif, Rick Grimes, who leads a band of survivors in a world overrun by zombies. Survival, world views, trust, existentialism, post-modernism, and… well, “what makes us human?”, all are on the table.

Since Shaun of the Dead first caught our attention in 2004, we have been enamored with the films brought to us by the team of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright. They promised us a "Blood and Ice Cream" Trilogy and they have finally delivered with the final installment, The World's End. Not only does this film not fall prey to "trilogy fatigue," but it possibly outshines all the previous films in the series while still staying true to consistent themes throughout. We take a look at the stories that have been woven throughout the trilogy, and break down some of the themes and world views that these films, and specifically, The World's End, tackle. Friendship, loneliness, freedom, slavery, and prolonged adolescence - all on this episode! Elijah Lovejoy and Chris Meriwether join us this show.

While it should be no surprise after District 9, Neill Blomkamp's sophomore film, Elysium, was packed with themes of social justice and it has been met with a storm of controversy. While conservative sites lambasted the film due to its apparent support of socialized medicine and its arguments against strict immigration practices, more liberal sites welcomed a movie that actually put some of the issues that are very real in the current political conversation right out front. Our panel discusses the merits and drawbacks of being labeled as a "preachy" film, but also hit on some of the actual themes the movie explores, such as sacrifice, self-centeredness, false promise, and debate our main character, Max, as a supposed Christ figure. This week’s panel included Elijah Lovejoy and Mark Wingerter.

Reel World Theology takes on it's most ambitious undertaking to date. Not only are we going to tackle multiple movies (The Wolverine, Pacific Rim), but, while trying to answer "What is the draw of the Summer Blockbuster?" We essentially tackle every Summer movie ever! So, sit back and get ready for our longest and most audacious conversation to date.

A little something different as I sit down and interview writer, author, and creator of the Cinemagogue website, James Harleman. James has been in the Film and Theology business for some time now and has even written a book on the subject. He is someone who has inspired myself and many others to "Watch to Glorify," and now he has taken the time to chat with me about his history with cinema, the power of story, and the hope in trying to discover how arts and entertainment affect culture.

Gather the minions! This episode we tackle the animated movie Despicable Me 2. Which, by default, means that we also talk about Despicable Me. Which also means we talk about the impact that animated movies have on children and adults alike. We are all over the place trying to assess why and how we let kids consume entertainment and what some of the best ways to do so are. This week's guest is Alan Hawkins.

We try to class the show up a bit by discussing Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing! or at least the latest interpretation of a popular Shakespeare play by one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now, Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, The Avengers). After leaving every other Summer blockbuster in the dust with the $1.5 billion success of The Avengers, Joss was mandated to have some time off — which he used to make this film in twelve days. It almost seems like showing off at this point. Though, to “Whedonites,” this is business as usual. This week’s panel included Claire Alston and Laura Fissel. ***apologies: didn't catch the microphone issue until we were almost done recording***

The Reel World Theology Podcast takes time to discuss the latest DC Comics offering, Man of Steel. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy), Man of Steel gave audiences a lot of promise for rebooting the Superman franchise. We take a look and see if DC nailed it or missed the mark. This week's guests are Griffin Kale and Elijah Lovejoy.

This weeks guests Mark & Griffin help break down Star Trek Into Darkness. We will take a look at the relationship of Kirk and Spock and how their relationship is progressing and has changed from the original Star Trek series. We will also take a look at the difference between the future that Gene Roddenberry imagined versus the realities of humanity that draw audiences into theaters to see these and other movies.