As a resolution for 2024, James repents of a glaring omission (and potential Popcorn Theologian disqualification) by finally watching this quintessential film! Richard and Miles join James to berate him… AND to discuss the important themes beyond the obvious one in the film’s title! James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Episode 325: The Shawshank Redemption

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Watch the episode here. This episode will shake you out of your fugue state! Hopefully Kat won’t choke on the themes as she joins James and David for a look at the sophomore year of this acclaimed show. James dares to say something negative about this season, David and Kat examine the escalation and ripples of temptation and sin, and the crew discuss a pride so great it can’t accept charity. What else might they fish out of the narrative pool? Or will it all come crashing down on their heads?  James' book Cinemagogue has a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.  Chapters: Better Call Paul - 00:00  Intro - 01:43  Popcorn Ratings - 03:20  Theology Ratings - 08:55  Subscribe, Share, Connect - 12:31  Ads - 14:30  Season 2 Recap - 17:20  Popcorn Thoughts - 20:00  Charity and the Denial of Service - 36:41  Temptation and Escape - 53:28  We Don’t Sin in a Vacuum - 1:20:45  Lightning Round - 1:37:12 

Episode 339: Breaking Bad: Season 2

Watch the episode here. Are you guilty of worldview murder? Is your mindless consumption predetermined? The Pop-Theo-Cogs have seen a different path to take, one that points you to the "Capital P" Precog and film as an opportunity to glorify Him. So strap in and view this Sci-fi classic with new eyes as we cover Minority Report. James' book Cinemagogue has a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.  Chapters:  Cold Open - 00:00 Intro - 01:50  Philip K. Dick - 03:00  Subscribe, Share, Connect - 06:07  Popcorn Ratings - 08:45  Theology Ratings - 11:26  Ads - 14:12  Popcorn Thoughts - 17:34  Living in a Precrime World? - 28:18  God is the Capital P Precog - 43:45  What is man? - 53:34  Duty, Justice, Utilitarianism - 1:06:47  The Gospel IS THE Minority Report - 1:19:30  Lightning Round - 1:30:52              

Episode 338: Minority Report

Watch the episode here.  It’s a battle royale as our hosts - like Godzilla versus Kong - wrestle over the quality of this latest monsterverse installment! But James, Eric, and guest host “James the Younger” all surface some curious observations about the film’s Moses motif, the sovereignty of God(zilla) and a curious parallel with Revelation chapter 20. Want some kaiju-sized conversation? We gotcha. James' book Cinemagogue has a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.  Chapters: Cold Open - 00:00 Intro - 01:24 Plot Summary - 02:49 Subscribe, Share, Connect - 04:05 Popcorn Ratings - 05:28 Theology Ratings - 09:08 Ads - 11:23 Cross-Cultural Engagement (The Al-Ma'idah Initiative) - 13:45  Popcorn Thoughts - 18:26 KONG’s Moses Motif - 34:19 Revelation 20 - 38:23 Godzilla the Watchful Protector - 46:47 Collateral Damage: Godzilla vs. God - 1:03:25 Lightning Round - 1:11:00

Episode 337: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

 Watch episode here.  Miles and James take the call and cruise through the frozen landscape of New York looking for what haunts this latest Ghostbusters installment! From rarely discussed biblical ideas of where evil spirits come from to the film’s shockingly trad view of parenting and relationships, there’s plenty of things to discuss. Just remember: don’t cross the themes! It would be bad.   James' book Cinemagogue has a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.   Chapters: Cold Open - 00:00 Intro - 01:48 Popcorn Ratings - 04:30 Theology Ratings - 08:00 Subscribe, Share, Connect, Ads - 09:52 The Ghostbusters Universe - 15:12 Popcorn Thoughts - 18:19 Ghosts & Demons - 27:19 Legacy & Identity - 56:22 Family & Parental Discipline - 1:13:39 Lightning Round - 1:42:07       

Episode 336: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Watch the episode here.  Knock knock, Neo. The Matrix released 25 years ago this Easter. Join us as we revisit our 200th episode on this iconic sci-fi film, which we recorded for the film's 20th anniversary. In this episode James, Richard, and David as we revisit this modern classic as well as the highlights for the first 200 episodes. We discuss how Neo illustrates both the convert and the savior, the cost of discipleship, and how we should view our "enemies" in this world. Trust us, you'll want to take the red pill, and we'll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes...  James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here.  Intro - 00:00    Pilot - 04:27 James’ first episode - 7:44 100th episode - 11:26  Favorite episodes - 13:29 First Matrix episode - 19:18 Top films since Matrix - 21:28   Ads - 37:30 Symbolism in The Matrix - 39:15 Neo the Convert - 46:49 The Real World and Slavery - 1:03:50 Enemies on the Team - 1:14:04 Neo the Savior - 1:22:09 The Matrix's Influence on Messaging in Film - 1:45:32 Looking ahead to 2020 - 1:40:10  — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Episode 325: The Shawshank Redemption

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