Steve's on

On Watching Theology, Joe, Duke, 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 is currently completing an M.A. in English Literature. He's smuggled film classes into each degree. 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!
Duke enjoys the way movies can tell stories like no other medium. He is an amatuer critic that loves the atmosphere of the theater and the taste of overpriced popcorn. He loves a good story and appreciates the effort and skill of good story tellers. He is a nerd at heart and a sucker for heist movies. He hopes to see every good movie and lampoon every bad movie ever made before he dies.

Contact the hosts at mail@watchingtheology.com for more information.

Fight Club (1999)

Watching Theology January 1st, 2010

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[NOTE: Explicit Content] New season. New series. New co-host. Same Watching Theology wisdom (sorry). Season 4 begins with an all-male look at twentieth century masculinity according to Pitt, Norton, Fincher, and Palahniuk. Joe is joined by Duke Senter to listen to Fight Club and ask what it means to be male and survive existential vacuums. This extended-length show is the first of a series on "The Cave: Utopias, Delusions, and Deceptions." [04.01]

Next Episode … (Read More)

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WT03.07 Brigham City (2001)

Watching Theology December 23rd, 2009

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God's Silence Series: no. 5. In the final installment of the "God's Silence" series–and the last of WT Season 3–we look at Brigham City, Richard Dutcher's third film. Brigham is a little community in Utah, a Mormon town with two police officers and no crime. But a series of murders disrupts paradise. The Sheriff/bishop (played by Dutcher) has to reconcile two worlds, the spiritual and temporal, in an unusual film about the religious … (Read More)

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WT03.06 Breaking the Waves (1996)

Watching Theology June 17th, 2009

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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 a … (Read More)

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WT03.05 Mean Streets (1973)

Watching Theology June 6th, 2009

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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 himsel … (Read More)

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WT03.04 Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)

Watching Theology May 7th, 2009

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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 f … (Read More)

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WT03.03 Winter Light (1962)

Watching Theology April 19th, 2009

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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 … (Read More)

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