Unlike “The Chosen,” which spends a lot of time on the Jewish rituals that shaped Jesus’ life and that of his followers, “The Carpenter” makes no attempts to authentically portray life and practices in ancient Israel. It doesn’t even portray biblical events. The two plot lines — Oren’s journey to the Jerusalem competition and Yeshua’s serenely intoned life lessons — have seemingly nothing to do with each other.
Read More(REVIEW) Christmas may not be a Jewish holiday and “Hot Frosty” is entirely devoid of even the slightest hint of Hanukkah happening in the background. What I’m saying is this: Jews are way better at holiday magic. And since Christians get so many holiday movies, we are the ones who deserve the hot snowman golem movie.
Read More(REVIEW) It appears at first glance that “Heretic” is using religion merely as a springboard for horror, as movies often do. But “Heretic” has much more on offer, making for a surprisingly thoughtful and in-depth study about the nature of religion and faith.
Read More(REVIEW) “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints” is an eight-episode docudrama series following the lives and sacrifices of saints: Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, John the Baptist, Thomas Becket, Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black, Sebastian and Maximillian Kolbe. Each episode features a dramatization of their lives, narration by Scorsese and a panel.
Read More(REVIEW) Despite its flaws, “Agatha All Along” gives a refreshingly honest look at grief, relationships, the false promises of power and selfishness. In a world that churns out superhero movies with nothing to say, this is a welcome thing. In a world that tries to idealize the witch lifestyle, this show gives a far more accurate take than most forms of media have the guts to. The world of “Agatha” is one without hope in the face of death.
Read More(REVIEW) “Conclave,” the fictional thriller that outlines the Catholic process of selecting a new pope, does the audience the service of stating its intended message outright. In a controversial homily that begins the proceedings, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence declares that “certainty is the great enemy of unity.” The movie also goes on to demonstrate that lesson in a variety of ways, as conspiracy abounds and tension grows.
Read MoreWhat intrigued Ma was that they weren’t trying to get people to agree with each other, but to respect each other, which is one of our nation’s biggest issues, especially in light of the upcoming presidential election. Initially, the filmmakers suggested assembling a group of multiple faith leaders from all over the country, but it was eventually changed so that all the participants lived in the same city.
Read More(REVIEW) Hellboy is an odd character with a bumpy cinematic history. Based on a comic book series, Hellboy is the son of a demon and a witch who was brought from hell into the world by Nazis. He was rescued and raised by Professor Broom of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who became his surrogate father and trained to help save the world from monsters.
Read More(REVIEW) Forgiveness is widely considered one of the most difficult things to do in life — particularly when it comes to the relationship between parents and children. This is probably why so many films deal with the idea of reconciling with one’s parents. “Exhibiting Forgiveness” does a great job of honestly wrestling with the hardest questions around forgiveness.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Back in August, IllumiNative released a study that described how Native-led shows like “Reservation Dogs" had a positive effect on viewers, showing that Native-led projects are not only in demand but proving to be educational and impactful. Viewers who watched the aforementioned Native-led shows were more likely to agree with policies that support and center Indigenous voices.
Read More(REVIEW) Unlike exorcism movies, which have largely gone unchanged since the 1973 film ‘The Exorcist,” vampire films have gone through interesting cycles of evolution. While vampires originally were portrayed as evil, alien creatures, franchises such as “Twilight” and “The Vampire Diaries” showed them as hot antiheroes and even — at times — as wholesome and misunderstood.
Read MoreThe second season of “Rings of Power” is far from perfect. But the finale pays off its themes in surprisingly satisfying ways, making it far more faithful to J.R.R Tolkien than its most ardent detractors will admit. To say that “Rings of Power” is controversial would be an understatement. Since its premiere, the series has fallen afoul of the culture wars online.
Read More(REVIEW) Presented as an offbeat rom-com, “Between the Temples” contains a depth of feeling and personal reflection that’s admirable. It’s a must-see for many reasons, and only one of them is its central romance. It’s also a hilarious misadventure, a reflection on life and relationships and the beautiful journey two people take to rediscovering faith.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Two recent events have made major headlines in the faith-based film industry. The first was the dominance of faith-based, politically right-wing films at the domestic box office. The second was Dallas Jenkins’ announcement that his “The Chosen” TV series about Jesus was expanding into a whole “The Chosen” universe of shows.
Read More(REVIEW) The “Beetlejuice” sequel shows that Tim Burton continues to present religious themes, such as when Beetlejuice makes the sign of the cross and immediately catches on fire. Also, the movie expands the afterlife and shows how there are places beyond the waiting room and hallways we were shown in the first movie.
Read MoreMost religious mythologies reflect how various peoples experience the world. Mesopotamia had really bad weather and tribal warfare, so its people tended to portray the gods as deeply chaotic and unreliable. Meanwhile, their Egyptian neighbors had stable weather and an equally stable government. As a result, their gods were largely stable and benevolent as well.
Read MoreThere is a long history of hot rabbis on our pages and screens dating back to the dawn of the rabbinic tradition. There are manhood-measuring contests in the Talmud, smolder-eyed gazes from young Hasidic leaders in Yiddish literature and Ben Stiller as a very eligible junior rabbi in a cult hit rom-com.
Read More(ANALYSIS) Audience members may walk away from the first two movies in the “X” trilogy believing they’re meant to have picked up on a meaning. Maybe something about purity culture, womanhood or aging; maybe a warning about the perils of chasing stardom. But even the intended message is unclear.
Read More(REVIEW) “The Front Room” tries to say something important about faith, but its social commentary is too silly to take seriously and the thrills aren’t good enough to be silly fun. In a post-Christian society, it’s inevitable that movies will increasingly find creative ways to reflect and wrestle with this religious change. Hopefully, more of them will do so in a more intelligent (or at least entertaining) way than “The Front Room.”
Read More(ANALYSIS) Exorcism movies are making a comeback — and the reasons are more interesting than you might think. The likely reasons actually say a lot about the present and the future of religion in America and its intersection with the future of mass media. Here's a deeper look at why Hollywood is going all in on the genre.
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