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’
Essays
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
Transpositions – Truly Unconventional Christmas Films for the Bleak Midwinter
I'm an associate editor for Transpositions, the online journal for ITIA, where I recently wrote on four very unconventional Christmas films from a theological perspective: The traditional popular Christmas film is typically full of holiday joy and good cheer, as exemplified by … [Read more...] about Transpositions – Truly Unconventional Christmas Films for the Bleak Midwinter
Transpositions – Motion Pictures, Mary Magdalene, and #MeToo
For Transpositions, I recently wrote on Garth Davis' 2018 film Mary Magdalene, the #MeToo movement, and the filmic depictions of Mary Magdalene throughout cinematic history: I find it sadly ironic that Garth Davis’s exquisite 2018 film Mary Magdalene became an unexpected … [Read more...] about Transpositions – Motion Pictures, Mary Magdalene, and #MeToo