WT03.06 Breaking the Waves (1996)

Watching Theology June 17th, 2009

God's Silence Series: no. 4. When Bess married Jan, it united an outsider and an insider, an oilworker and a member of a strict religious community. Their marriage was a happy one: sensual, fun, passionate. All that ended when Jan returned to his oil platform and Bess was left alone. She resumed prayers to a talkative God, a being who once was her only confidant. When Bess asked God to bring Jan back home to her, she took a significant step to a time of trial and atonement, losing her dignity and experiencing the silence of God in a real and traumatic way. Breaking the Waves is Lars von Trier's controversial parable about the struggle between the sacred and profane, spiritual and physical love, and an angry and loving God. It may also be a 1970s Scottish version of Carl Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc.

See Davey Morrison's excellent interview with Richard Dutcher and his review of Falling.
Need Netflix to watch Breaking the Waves or Brigham City? Click here for a free trial.

Coming soon: In Bruges (perhaps) and Richard Dutcher's Brigham City.

NOW AVAILABLE: Watching, a film book by Joe and Melissa Johnson (also available through Amazon)

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (3) | Trackback | |

WT03.05 Mean Streets (1973)

Watching Theology June 6th, 2009

God's Silence Series: no. 3. [NOTE: Explicit Content] Sometimes God is silent. Sometimes he's shut out of the conversation. In Martin Scorsese's breakthrough film Mean Streets, Charlie is trying to find his own way to stay out of Hell. He is the saint of Little Italy, just not the kind of saint anyone would canonize. Although God offers him absolution, Charlie prefers real atonement. He is the savior of the dregs, but his first priority is to save himself without losing anything. Join us for this episode as WT discusses the problem with forming one's own religion.
Coming soon: Breaking the Waves, In Bruges (perhaps), and Richard Dutcher's Falling.

NOW AVAILABLE: Watching, a film book by Joe and Melissa Johnson

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (4) | Trackback | |

WT03.04 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Watching Theology May 7th, 2009

God's Silence Series: no. 2. In part two of the "God's Silence" series, Watching Theology considers the profound link between ethics and God's existence. If God exists, He must care, and if God cares, He must punish. So if Martin Landau were to, say, kill Anjelica Huston, you might expect a lightning bolt or two, right? Not according to Woody Allen's masterpiece of tragedy, comedy, existentialism, and literary binaries. Join this episode for a look at Allen's C … (Read More)

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (6) | Trackback | |

WT03.03 Winter Light (1962)

Watching Theology April 19th, 2009

God's Silence Series: no. 1. Ingmar Bergman's films have become synonymous with existential terror. In 1962's Winter Light, Bergman explores what could be a typical Sunday for a struggling pastor, except that this pastor may not believe in God. Winter Light is the first episode in a 5 part series on religious doubt, specifically on how "God's Silence" is explored in movies.

(Note: this episode references Arthur Gibson's book Silence of God.) Future episodes in … (Read More)

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (3) | Trackback | |

WT03.02 Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Watching Theology March 21st, 2009

It's a tale as old as time. On this episode, WT turns it's careful gaze to the waters of the Amazon, watching Jack Arnold's Universal Monster classic Creature from the Black Lagoon. In those dark waters, we find an evolutionary story of Beauty and the Beast and a few bizarre love triangles. As an added bonus, that beastly Joe is joined by a beauty for a brief interview on gender, King Kong, and age appropriate viewing.[#3.02]

NOW AVAILABLE: Watching, a film book by Joe and Melissa … (Read More)

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (3) | Trackback | |

WT03.01 Choke (2008)

Watching Theology February 20th, 2009

In this first episode of season 3, Joe spends a few minutes with Clark Gregg's Choke. This latest adaptation of a Chuck Palahniuk novel is far removed from the David Fincher Fight Club adaptation, but a few threads connect them. Of course there is a fascination with vulgarity and the visceral. There is the strange blend of romanticism, religion and repulsion. But Choke also offers a few comments on the messiah complex of a young man who needs to kill his mother to save his life. All this, a … (Read More)

Podcast: Download MP3 | Play in Popup | Comments (13) | Trackback | |