Over the course of the years, I’ve taught countless seminars on “How to Watch a Movie.” This installment of the series will address several of the questions and issues that often arise in those seminars, before concluding with a brief challenge. What are some alternative Christian approaches to movie-viewing? In Reel Spirituality: Theology & Film [ Read More ]
In the last two installments of “How to Watch a Movie,” we covered the nine elements of (nearly) every Hollywood movie and then applied those nine elements to two particular movies, Braveheart and Tommy Boy. In this post, I will choose six “themes” that are prevalent in Hollywood and list a couple of movies that [ Read More ]
Having explored the Bible’s overarching story in the second installment of “How to Watch a Movie,” this third post will delve into the major components of a Hollywood storyline. Drawing upon Brian Godawa’s Hollywood Worldviews, we will explore the nine things you’ll find in (nearly) every Hollywood movie: theme, hero, hero’s goal, adversary, character flaw, [ Read More ]
No offense to professors and pastors, but the most influential philosophers and religious teachers in our nation are its screenwriters, producers, directors, actors, and soundtrack artists. These artist-priests convey their worldviews and dogmas through Hollywood movies, which are unusually powerful and effective media for conveying messages, making impressions, and rousing emotions. They create an imaginative [ Read More ]