Constantine (2005)

Watching Theology July 15th, 2007

Keanu Reeves is no stranger to roles with significant theological and philosophical impact: Neo, Buddha, Ted "Theo-dore" Logan. In this edition, we look at him as he fights the forces of good and evil, once again coming face-to-face (remember The Devil's Advocate?) with Satan. On this episode, we follow Reeves as the incarnation of the Hellblazer comics anti-hero in Francis Lawrence's Constantine. Join us as we explore the power of quasi-Catholic dogma, the fight for redempti … (Read More)

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Watching Theology, Etc.

Erik July 13th, 2007

Christians and Hollywood have a checkered past. It seems that if we're not shunning movies altogether (or watching "Christian" films); we're fishing for sermon illustrations, Christ figures, and redemptive themes in movies where they just don't exist.

Joe and Melissa Johnson from the podcast Watching Theology are a different breed. They approach a film the way a theologian examines a Biblical text, looking at its philosophical and thematic elements, and listening close … (Read More)

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Harry Potter: Even Worse than the Smurfs

Mark Tesreau July 9th, 2007

Recently, I listened to the pastor of a well known mega-church sermonize from Revelation 21:8 that we should not see the Harry Potter movies because Harry is a sorcerer and sorcerers are going to Hell. So as not to take him out of context, his comments were as follows.

"I really think you ought to think long and hard before you let your children go see Harry Potter at the movie. I really want to encourage you in that area. God has, in the Old Testament and the New, come down hard a … (Read More)

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Watching Buffoonery

Erik June 13th, 2007

Joe and Melissa Johnson from the podcast Watching Theology joined us this week to talk about: 1) their brilliant work, 2) the fact that Joe thinks J.R.R. Tolkien is full of crap, and 3) how super cool it is to be assimilated by stevebrownetc.com.

Paris Hilton also stopped by. Don't be fooled by the news reports, she's as stupid as ever.

On the other end of the intelligence spectrum, Jordan (who's moniker shall not be spoken) from Vagabond Saint phoned in a segment on how the Mand … (Read More)

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The Princess Bride (1987)

Watching Theology June 4th, 2007

Maybe it's not exactly theology, but does a nice fairy tale like The Princess Bride have something to say? Is it possible that Westley, Humperdink and Miracle Max are all players in some universe of moral clarity, destiny and providence? On this episode, we turn our focus to William Goldman's and Rob Reiner's consent to traditional virtues disguised as a romantic comedy. On the way we wonder what role a little suburban Fred Savage plays and whether Buttercup is being punished for … (Read More)

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SBE at the Movies - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Matthew May 24th, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Directed by Gore Verbenski

Written by: Ted Elliott + Terry Rossio

Unlike the first two "˜Pirates', At World's End does not center around eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow. And when he is onscreen, he's less funny than in the previous films. Instead, an ensemble cast of characters takes center stage, including Will Turner (played by Orlando Bloom) and even more so Elizabeth Swann (played by Keira Knightly). There's an apt and … (Read More)

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