Me, every year: The Academy Awards are rubbish. Art is not a popularity contest or a competition to win. Truth and beauty are not determined by "For Your Consideration" campaigns. Also me: PLEASE AFFIRM MY FAVORITE FILMS WITH TINY GOLD STATUES. So, here are the 2020 … [Read more...] about The 2020 Cinemayward Oscars
Essays
I Love You, But You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About: On ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and Adolescence
Think back to when you were 12 years old, likely the age you were in the sixth grade. It might help to pull out an old photo album or yearbook to see what you looked like then, drawing you back into the memories of your past self. What were your relationships like with your … [Read more...] about I Love You, But You Don’t Know What You’re Talking About: On ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and Adolescence
Bright Wall / Dark Room – Religious Cinema for Non-Believers: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’
For Bright Wall / Dark Room's Issue 70, "Going Long," I wrote about Martin Scorsese's 2016 masterpiece of religious cinema, Silence. The long-form essay was also chosen to be published at RogerEbert.com. Here's an excerpt: In the beginning, there is only darkness. Crickets … [Read more...] about Bright Wall / Dark Room – Religious Cinema for Non-Believers: Martin Scorsese’s ‘Silence’
A Film Critic Pastor-Theologian On The 2019 Oscars
I wrote a blog post for Portland Seminary (I'm an alumnus, 2017 MATS grad) on being both a film critic and a pastor-theologian, as well as my predictions and recommendations for the 2019 Oscars. People often ask me if being a film critic doing a PhD on cinema and theology … [Read more...] about A Film Critic Pastor-Theologian On The 2019 Oscars
The 2019 Cinemayward Oscars
The Oscar nominees for 2019 will be announced today, which prompts this confession: I have a love/hate relationship with film awards. On the one hand, art shouldn't be a popularity contest or a game to win; on the other hand, I *love* cinema, so anything highlighting film … [Read more...] about The 2019 Cinemayward Oscars