(REVIEW) When a wild night ends in handcuffs and a campus police escort, two best friends (named Grayson and Tyler are slapped with 120 hours of community service due in two weeks — or they’re expelled. Their genius plan? Pose as counselors at a local Christian youth camp.
Read More(REVIEW) “Elijah Peel” follows a world-famous rock musician whose life of success and addiction comes crashing down after suffering a life-threatening heart attack. But the film still wears the inspirational Christian movie formula like a straitjacket, instead of using it as a sturdy foundation.
Read MoreSince the Hamas attack on Israel, the actor has frequently called out Israel’s military action in Gaza, notably wearing an Artists4Ceasefire pin to the 2024 Oscars. In 2024, he was among more than 700 SAG-AFTRA members who signed a letter demanding the actors’ union publicly call for a Gaza ceasefire and protect pro-Palestinian members from what they described as industry blacklisting.
Read MoreAfter 11 seasons, PBS’s “Masterpiece Mystery!” series “Grantchester” has come to an end. For more than a decade, viewers returned to the quiet village of Cambridgeshire to watch an unlikely crime-solving duo: Anglican vicars and Det. Inspector George “Geordie” Keating.
Read More(REVIEW) There’s something about priests solving murders in small towns that people love. A long-running series in this genre that’s just ended is “Grantchester.” The series follows young, good-looking vicars in the fictional sleepy British town who partner with a local lawman to solve murder cases.
Read More(Review) Pagans and Christians alike long for an Orpheus who can sing a song that brings Hades and Persephone back together and rescue Eurydice from the underworld. But Christians know that song already exists. And if we want our lives and world restored, we don’t have to look to a “sad song” or a fantasy future — but to the happy song of a real past and present.
Read More(REVIEW) Nick is on an adventure to secure an original manuscript of the famous poem. Unfortunately, the film’s engagement with the “Divine Comedy’s” ideas and themes turns out to be depressingly trivial.
Read More(ANALYSIS) I met Karolyn Grimes not long after moving back to Washington State in the summer of 2005. Grimes, best known for her portrayal of Zuzu (George Bailey’s daughter) in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” had just turned 65. I learned that she and her husband lived in Fall City.
Read More“The Odyssey” reflects a distinctly Western “post-atheism” approach to religion. It is a faith-based film, but only using gods nobody believes in anymore. Because of that, these gods can be a metaphor for any divinely ordained pro-social tradition you happen to believe in.
Read MoreMerit Street Media, the television venture founded by Dr. Phil McGraw and backed by Trinity Broadcasting Network, has been converted from Chapter 11 reorganization to Chapter 7 liquidation. An independent trustee now controls the estate as litigation between McGraw, TBN, and other creditors continues through the bankruptcy process.
Read More(REVIEW) The faith-based film industry is shifting from family-friendly dramas toward male-focused, patriotic stories for conservative Christian audiences. “Young Washington” reflects that evolution with strong action, but ultimately weakens its emotional impact by oversimplifying George Washington’s ambition and spiritual transformation, limiting its cultural and thematic potential.
Read More(ANALYSIS) In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, faith-based filmmakers have pushed out multiple patriotic and history-themed films. This summer has seen a mix of historical dramas, war epics and documentaries — all of which are widely available for Christians (and non-Christians) to watch this Fourth of July weekend.
Read More(REVIEW) To understand post-Christian Western culture, watch “Hazbin Hotel.” As America continues to secularize and divide along religious and political lines, our culture is rewriting how we think about human nature and redemption. With its second season, the series encapsulates our evolving post-Christian imagination — and the ways we’re worse off for it.
Read More(REVIEW) “Just One More” has its heart in the right place. But it is held back by a preachy Christian filmmaking culture that leans on telling, not showing.
Read More(REVIEW) Steven Spielberg’s latest film “Disclosure Day” asks how people of faith would deal with finding out aliens are real. Sadly, one gets the distinct impression that Spielberg didn’t talk to any religious people when deciding his answer. Spielberg is responsible for some of the most iconic movies about aliens and faith ever made.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The Kane Parsons film “Backrooms” has captivated audiences since it hit theaters in May. The movie — a horror film about liminal spaces based on internet mythology — also taps into a series of religious ideas that have existed for centuries, particularly concepts such as purgatory, limbo and salvation.
Read MoreOne of America’s greatest and fearless investigative journalists, Amy Goodman, seeks the truth and reports it. Religion Unplugged sat down with her to discuss how her Jewish upbringing and its influences on her career and reporting.
Read More(REVIEW) While the show’s theological justification is surprisingly in line with the pope’s new AI principles, the execution proves that — as always — the devil is in the details.
Read MoreMilan took center stage in new film “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” The movie showcases the city’s most iconic Catholic sites, such as the Duomo, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the church courtyard and convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses Leonardo Da Vinci’s mural painting “The Last Supper.”
Read MoreA low-budget movie, cheesy horror that is literally just “The Exorcist” meets “Speed” and whose theology is as thin as a communion wafer. In theory, this can be an opportunity for an actually really fun campy horror experience. Unfortunately, it’s far more interested in stale religious deconstruction than it is in classic scares.
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