Reel World Theology

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We do what everyone in the world is already doing-- talk about Avengers: Infinity War. We go into spoilers because, honestly, this movie is coming up on the two billion worldwide mark so there are not a lot of people who haven't seen it yet. With that said, we talk about the things that intrigued us most about this unofficial 'part one' of the culmination of a decade of storytelling. And we are surprised at how the MCU keeps us on our toes after all this time.

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We take a look at one of the newest Netflix original films, Come Sunday. This film is based on the life of Bishop Cartlon Pearson who began teaching a doctrine of universal salvation and the absence of hell and it cost him nearly everything in his life. His story was brought to the streaming screen by the team at This American Life and we get the chance to talk to Ira Glass about why they think this story was so important to tell. Enjoy the discussion and the interview!

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We give a shout out to Patron supporter Jeremy Calcara who has sponsored this episode! In his infinitely good taste, he has asked that we talk about Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's latest blockbuster, Rampage! This isn't something we would have normally covered on the show so it gives us the chance to let our hair down and really dive into why we, and apparently the entire world, love The Rock. Can you smell what we're cookin?

On this episode of Reel World: Rewind: With the recent release of Wes Anderson's new animated film, Isle of Dogs, it made sense to venture back to his previous animated movie, Fantastic Mr. Fox. This month, Josh Crabb is joined by Joel Mayward, film critic, author, former youth pastor, and now a doctoral candidate at the University of St. Andrews in the UK. Josh and Joel discuss this adaptation of the Rohl Dahl children's book by way of Anderson's signature explorations of purpose, identity, value, and growing up. Plus, they try to decipher one of the seemingly inexplicable scenes with the wolf towards the end and have some intriguing conclusions. It's two middle-aged dads hashing out mid-life crises, legacy, and identity on this month's episode of Rewind.

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We grab the reigns of nostalgia and dare not let go! Steven Spielberg adapts Ernest Cline's love letter to 80's pop-culture in a big budget, popcorn-shoveling spectacle. How does it translate from the book? Is it ok that we are making a movie that is almost completely references to other things? We talk about all the things that make us who we are and what happens when you try to tell stories where the virtual is more interesting than the real.

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: Often nominated, never winninated... or something. The Post looked like it was made for the sole purpose of winning an Oscar. What kept it from winning the big prize? Is the movie more than just a film that ticks all the boxes for Oscar nominations? Does this historical drama have something to teach us today? Didn't we just have a movie about how important newspapers were? Are they still? What role should good journalism play? So. Many. Questions.

We're continuing a new series at Reel World Theology called Reel World Interviews. In these, we hope to talk to people who are actively engaging entertainment and pop-culture with the Gospel in mind. This episode, we chat with Hannah Leader, who is a Christian and producer of a number of new films that attempt to bring the Gospels to life… we get to talk to Hannah about how she went from being a lawyer to financing major Hollywood films to trying to merge her seemingly opposite lives of Christianity and the film industry... Have a listen and check out the films!

On this episode of the Reel World Theology Podcast: We talk about the best movie of the year according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Shape of Water. We ask ourselves how this odd, adult fairy tale managed to grab film's highest honor and it's merits. We also talk about the divisiveness of the film amongst movie-goers-- especially Christians. Does The Shape of Water reflect something about our culture that resonates on a deeper level? We discuss.