We're back... again! After another extended hiatus, Rhys and George are back to the cinema and back to theologically informed pub chat. We caught The Banshees of Inisherin, the latest from In Bruges director Martin McDonagh. It's a dark comedy which throws up big questions: how should we spend our time before we die? What's the place of great art in life? Is there a difference between "niceness" and love?Timestamps00:00-05:12 - Intro05:26-end - The Banshees of Inisherin
Another biggy that we missed: Spider-Man: No Way Home. Already one of the highest grossing movies of all time, we give our verdict, and talk about why Hollywood is so obsessed with franchises, and whether it's a good thing to want to "heal" all our villains.Timestamps00:00-07:37 - Intro and general MCU overview07:41-end - Spider-Man: No Way Home review
No time to record! After another extended hiatus, we're back! We're catching up on big things we've missed in the past few months, starting with No Time To Die. After pondering Bond's enduring popularity and its classic tropes, we give our thoughts on Daniel Craig's 007 swansong.Timstamps00:00-21:14 - Intro and general Bond overview 21:28-end - No Time To Die
After an extended hiatus, we're back! After brief thoughts on the Oscars movies we didn't cover we dive into Loki, Disney+'s latest MCU limited series. We talk about why we now need to make our villains sympathetic, time travel and free will, the narcissism of the multiverse, and more!Timstamps00:00-12:28 - Intro and News12:42 - end - Loki
This week's news is of course the Oscars, so we talk about the surprises and the increasing diversity of the Academy's choices.Then we review time-loop rom-com Palm Springs, and what it says about why our actions are morally significant. After that we discuss The Mauritanian and how it demonstrates humanity's shared sense of justice. Finally, we talk about how Minari uses Christian imagery, and showcases a surprisingly traditional view of family life.Timstamps00:00-08:51 - Intro and News09:05-26:50 - Palm Springs27:04-40:32 - The Mauritanian40:47-end - Minari
In this week's news, we talk about Disney moving a whole load of release dates, and wonder if people will really go back to the cinema.Then, we review I Care A Lot and wonder why we like watching horrible people succeed.We also review Judas and the Black Messiah, and explore why Christians have always regarded betrayal as such a great sin.Timestamps00:00-10:09 - Intro and News10:23-24:09 - I Care A Lot (spoiler-free!)24:24-30:38 - I Care A Lot (spoilers!)30:52-end - Judas and the Black Messiah
In the news, we discuss Oscar nominations and Avatar's infuriating reclamation of the "highest grossing film of all time" spot.Then (and we still can't quite believe it exists) we get into Zack Snyder's Justice League. We discuss why Christians need to realise the power of fans, whether people are really into myths, and where Zack Snyder does worldbuilding like Tolkien or Lewis.Timestamps00:00-07:53 - Intro and News08:07-end - Zack Snyder's Justice League
In this week's news, we talk about the BAFTAs and the upcoming release of The Snyder Cut of Justice League.Then, the whole episode is devoted to WandaVision. We talk about the comfort and community of sitcoms, resurrection hope, and whether hype and "event TV" is good for us as viewers.TimestampsIntro and News - 00:00-06:15WandaVision - 06:29-end
This week, in the news we go over the Golden Globes, then talk Spider-Man and Bond.Then we review Capone (Netflix) - one of the most spectacularly terrible films we've seen in a long time.We then have a much better conversation about a new documentary, A Glitch in the Matrix, which is all about "simulation theory" and whether or not we're living in a computer generated dream. We discuss the history of this idea, how it replays ancient heresies, and how the church should respons to conspiracy theorists.Shownotes"His pastors tried to steer him away from social media rage. He stormed the Capitol anyway" in The Washington Post (February 2021)Timestamps00:00-13:10 - Intro and News13:25-28:20 - Capone28:34-end - A Glitch in the Matrix
This week, we do a quick news catch-up about what to watch during award season.We also review The Dig (Netflix), based on the true story of the Anglo-Saxon horde unearthed at Sutton Hoo. We discuss the distant past and distant future, carpe diem, and why people now like to descibe humans as "stardust".Then, we review News of the World (Netflix), Tom Hanks' new western. We talk about the cowboy fatherhood tropes, fake news, and the relationship between stories and facts.Timestamps00:00-11:41 - Intro and News11:55-38:53 - The Dig39:01-end - News of the World
News this week is (surprise surprise) delays, with some upcoming releases.Then, we review Wonder Woman 1984 , wondering if upbeat superhero movies have a place in a post-MCU world. We also discuss the film as a Trumpian parable, and return again to the idea of the "strong female character."We also review Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Netflix), Chadwick Boseman's final performance. We talk about racial injustice, the black church, and why the church needs to sing the blues.Timestamps00:00-09:28 - Intro and News09:42-43:22 - Wonder Woman 198443:36-end - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
After some quick news chat about delays and rumours, we get into Season 2 of The Mandlorian (Disney+).Picking up the threads from our episode on Season 1, we talk about fatherhood, whether or not Mando is a religious conservative, and why Star Wars just can't escape the perfect myth it told in the original trilogy.Timestamps00:00-12:08 - news12:23-end - The Mandalorian (Season 2)
Happy New Year! We start by talking about what we watched over Christmas, before highlighting our best films of 2020 and a little bit of news.Then we review Black Narcissus, the BBC's latest spooky Betwixtmas three-part drama. We talk about cliched nuns, and the tension between the individual and the community.We also review Pixar's Soul (Disney+), wondering why a secular age still tells afterlife stories, and whether life is just what you make it.Shownotes"The (Latest) Modern Prometheus: Intergenerational Breakdown in The Lighthouse"Timestamps00:00-24:15 - Intro, Christmas TV, Best of 2020, and News24:47-57:47 - Black Narcissus57:58-end - Soul
It's been a while, but we're BACK with a CHRISTMAS SPECIAL!We review November's film news, which included the demises of Sean Connery, Johnny Depp's career, and possibly cinema as we know it as all Warner Bros movies will now be streamed at the same time they're in the cinema.Then we review Noelle (Disney+, starring Anna Kendrick), talking about total depravity, gender roles, and tradition.After, we review The Christmas Chronicles 2 (Netflix) in which Kurt Russell is the best film Santa ever, in part because he is the actual Bishop St. Nicholas. But then we get surprisingly angry about people trying to find transcendence whilst singing "O Christmas Tree", which is obviosuly no-one's favourite carol.TimestampsIntro and News - 00:00-15:46Noelle - 16:01-33:14The Christmas Chronicles 2 - 33:27-end
This week is a special multiverse mashup! We've crossed over with Popcorn Parenting (James Cary and Nate Morgan Locke) - another Christian podcast which talks about kids and family movies.Kids films and crossovers mean we had to go back to 2018 to review Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. What do we do when heroes disappoint us? Do superhero movies turn kids into narcissists? Does the rise of multiverses tell us something about current attitudes to truth?
This week we open the mailbag and read some listener emails, before sharing our thoughts on Christians and Halloween movies.We review Saint Maud (in cinemas - go see it!) - a horror-cum-drama movie about a devout but troubled young nurse. We discuss how the film relates religion to mental health, loneliness, and even evangelism.Then, it's The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix), directed by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network). Based on a true story, it got us talking about free speech, justice, and different groups uniting in a common cause.Timestamps00:00-22:00 - Intro, Mailbag, and Halloween Movies Discussion22:19-46:18 - Saint Maud46:32-end - The Trial of the Chicago 7Shownotes"Halloween: Its Creation and Recreation" by Steven Wedgeworth
This week, we discuss another Bond delay and the knock-on effect of cinema closures.We review Say Your Prayers (buy/rent on Amazon, YouTube, AppleTV etc.), a quirky indie comedy about two hapless Christian hitmen sent to assassinate a prominent atheist. It gives us a chance to talk about how much things have changed since the days when Dawkins, Hitchens, and Harris roamed the earth.Then, we review The Comey Rule (NowTV/Sky/Showcase), based on the memoir of former FBI Director James Comey (Jeff Daniels), who was fired by Donald Trump (Brendan Gleeson). We judge whether Brendan Gleeson gets Trump right, and how to be a good man in a bad time.Timestamps00:00-07:45 - Intro and News07:56-28:15 - Say Your Prayers28:30-end - The Comey RuleShownotes- Glen Scrivener - "Reset" Interviews
This week, Hollywood is again announcing delays to its biggest pictures.We review Netflix's The Devil All The Time (Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson), discussing its portrayal of Christianity and spiritual abuse.Then, it's ITV mini-series Des (David Tennant), based on the true story of serial killer Dennis Nilsen. We discuss the banality of evil, and why we're all so interested in serial killers anyway.TimestampsIntro and News - 00:00-05:59The Devil All The Time - 06:14-21:46Des - 22:00-end
In this week's news, we discuss the debate surrounding Netflix movie Cuties. We give our thoughts on the film's controversial elements, as well the the #CancelNetflix backlash.Then, we review Disney's live-action Mulan. We discuss the increasing influence of China in Hollywood, the "strong female protagonist", and why certain outlets reviewed it so well.Afterwards, we give a spoiler-free pitch for Netflix's I'm Thinking of Ending Things. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but is a fascinating exploration of time and the stories we tell about ourselves. We eventually move into a spoilery section about what on earth actually happens in it!TimestampsIntro and News - 00:00-10:33Mulan - 10:47-26:32I'm Thinking of Ending Things (spoiler-free) - 26:46-35:16I'm Thinking of Ending Things (spoilers!) - 35:31-endShownotes "12 Question to Ask Before You Watch Game of Thrones" by John Piper. Question 8 is referenced in this episode."Why We Should Jettison the Strong Female Character" by Alastair Roberts
In the news, we take a moment to reflect on the career of Chadwick Boseman, after his tragic death from cancer aged 43.Then, a long time coming, it's our bumper length Christopher Nolan special. What can Christians say about the work of the director tasked with saving post-lockdown cinema?We work through Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and conclude with our review of the much delayed Tenet, picking up on his recurrent themes including obsession, time, self-made realities, and technology,SPOILER WARNING for Tenet and most other films (though we leave Memento and The Prestige spoiler-free, in case you haven't seen their big twists!)TimestampsIntro and News - 00:00-09:40Memento - 09:55-18:49The Prestige - 19:04-30:43The Dark Knight Trilogy - 30:54-48:21Inception - 48:34-01:01:57Interstellar - 01:02:12-01:15:56Dunkirk - 01:16:11-01:26:04Tenet - 01:26:18-end