The Bob’s Burgers Movie: Hope and Hijinks for the American Family
The Belchers are both a representation of actual families—as real as an unvarnished food display—and the ideal we should aspire to.
For My Mental Health, I Repeatedly Watched One Episode of Ted Lasso
Watching Ted Lasso have a panic attack gave me a panic attack, so I created an experiment I’m calling “anxiety immersion.”
The Adam Project: Can Sarcasm Enhance? Yeah Right
The Adam Project shows us there is hope for us smart alecks after all, in bold truth-telling, wise discernment, and intelligent humor.
Why Are Dr. Rick’s Progressive Ads Actually Traditional Comedy?
Dr. Rick ads provide a relaxed common ground between generations and opportunities for approachable honesty with those outside the church.
The Unexpected Parenting in Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor Who
As the Doctor travels through time and space, she becomes a surprisingly good parenting example for those of us without a TARDIS.
The Princess Bride: 35 Years of Story and Twue Wuv
Great storytelling satisfies a life-sustaining appetite in all of us and targets the true love we all need.
What Lies Beneath: Layers of Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters: Afterlife depicts what we want to believe about reconciliation and eternal life.
1981 vs. 2021: Searching for Salvation
Reviewing the products of 1981 and 2021 reveals our desperate search for salvation from death… and salvation from modern daily life.
1980 vs. 2020: Anxiety We Have Heard on High
Comparing 1980 and 2020 reveals how pop culture dramatizes our anxieties.
Fatman: The Sleigh, the Truth, and the Life
In Fatman, we root for depressed and weary Santa as the underdog, unaware a highly trained assassin is coming for him; yet we’re given hope through hints of his supernatural powers to fight injustice.
What The Vast of Night Taught Me about Living in the Moment
If we struggle believing the best is yet to come, the first step is acknowledging that not all nostalgia is healthy.
