On Watching Theology, Joe and Melissa take a single film and examine it closely, looking at the assumptions and ideas in the story. Every episode considers the theological, philosophical and thematic elements of a film, listening closely to what the author has to say, and interacting with those ideas. (It's more fun than it sounds).
Joe watches too many movies. He grew up in central Washington, earned his B.A. in Education and Fine Art, an M.A. in Theology and currently works in the printing industry. During school, he fit in a few film classes. He is interested in writing, theology and hopes to one day compose the ultimate Joe Versus the Volcano commentary track.
Melissa has a B.A. in History and an M.A. in English with an emphasis on Film Studies. She has taken classes on everything from silent to romance to post-colonial films and much in between. Her research and interests lie mainly in feminist film theory, women in film, Hitchcock and the studio era. At the end of the day, however, she just loves films; from Notorious to Die Hard!
Go to watchingthedirectors.com for more from Joe and Melissa.
Watching Theology July 18th, 2008
God, evolution, the rise of a living machine, theology, humanism and a Vulcan named Spock. It's all in Robert Wise's adaptation of Star Trek mythology. On this episode, Joe does a solo take on what might be the real meaning of the players and ideas behind the first feature of television's most celebrated crew.
(Note: the sound quality is a little shakier than usual. We blame the Klingons.)
[#02.09]
Next WT edition: Aug 1 - Rear Window (1954)
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Watching Theology July 11th, 2008
Nothing says caring like a close community of Christian believers, compassionate co-workers and a life-like "love doll." Lars and the Real Girl is the story of a lonely man who becomes so gripped by the contrary forces of fear and love that he suffers from the delusion of believing that an internet-ordered mannequin is a girl friend. And in this insanity, he finds that there is no shortage of love – real love – in his life.
On this episode we spend some time with Lars, his family, his co-workers and his church to talk about the need to love and the cost of it all. Is fear a protector or destroyer of the human heart? Is love safe?
Next WT edition: July 18 - Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
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Watching Theology July 3rd, 2008
Yes, the podcast still exists. And it will return soon.
Here's the quick rundown on some adjusted program dates (and listen to the audio for a preview of some other upcoming shows):
Lars and the Real Girl (July 11), Star Trek: The Motion Picture (July 18), Rear Window (Aug 1)
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Watching Theology May 23rd, 2008
With the long awaited fourth movie in the Indiana Jones series hitting theaters, it seemed to be a good time to revisit our childhood and our collective social consciousness with an adventure. On this episode we go back to the beginning with Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to a surprising little homage film called Raiders of the Lost Ark. As we follow Dr. Jones, we are confronted by the nature of God - or what God might do if let out of a box - and the battle of good versus evil … (Read More)
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Watching Theology May 15th, 2008
Considered by numerous critics and film organizations to be the greatest film ever made, Citizen Kane is large in legend even without our brief examination of the movie. But even Orson Welles – as Charles Foster Kane and director – is not beyond our arrogant ramblings about life and meaning. On this episode, we look at the masterwork and talk about innocence, childhood, nostalgia and giving. We also spend some time talking about technique and whether Citizen Kane may have more in common with … (Read More)
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Watching Theology April 29th, 2008
[NOTE: Explicit Content] Whether or not there's a huge government/corporate conspiracy to take over every liberty – to enslave and control us – there's always time to think about reality. Fortunately, in Philip K. Dick's and Richard Linklater's vision of the near future, we're provided with ample examples of how one might go about losing his or her identity. And though drugs are a huge part of that, they're not the whole story. On this episode, we look through t … (Read More)
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