Grace in the Grey: Finding Redemption in Morally Complex Films
Let’s be honest — most of us don’t live in clear moral categories. We want to believe we do. We want our stories, our theology, our art to give us…
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Grace in Chaos: Pulp Fiction Turns 30
In Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film Pulp Fiction, grace invades an otherwise chaotic, yet legalistic realm in which the gangster’s code of honor apparently governs a world in which coincidental events punctuate…
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The Book of Clarence
The opening shot of Jeymes Samuel’s Book of Clarence shows several criminals nailed to crosses per the first century Roman method of capital punishment. In the foreground, a white figure…
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You’re Always Welcome At Church: A Home Alone Homily
I plunked down to watch Home Alone with my kids recently as one of them had it playing in the living room. I initially thought to myself, “You guys watch…
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The Black Phone
Halloween is almost here which means it’s time for all things scary. To celebrate, we’re reviewing a horror movie released in June called The Black Phone. Or as we call…
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B+
Waves
In the opening scene of Trey Edward Shults’ 2019 film Waves, a fluid 720 degree angle shot introduces us to star athlete Tyler Williams and his girlfriend Alexis as they…
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Oscars 2020 — Who Should Win (Part Two)
Welcome to part two of our Oscar picks! Here’s part one if you missed it: Oscars 2020 – Who Should Win? (Part One) Remember, these aren’t the movies that will…
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Novitiate / Hostiles / Call Me by Your Name
Welcome to another edition of Mini-Review Roundup where we present smaller reviews of several movies at once. Up this month: Novitiate, Hostiles, and Call Me by Your Name. Novitiate…
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A-
Mudbound
As a child, like many others, I loved to play in the mud. We had a “sandpile” next to our barn that was about 25% sand with the rest dirt,…
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The Shape of Water
You’d be forgiven for writing off Guillermo del Toro as just another genre director. Entries like Hellboy, Blade Runner II, Pacific Rim, and Crimson Peak fit neatly in that vein….
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