Stations of Home Alone: Can a Filthy Animal Have a Soul?
Station 1: “He may be a filthy animal, but you can’t say he doesn’t have a soul.”
‘Steve Jobs’ and the Ghosts of Apple Past
Jobs’ incessant pursuit of technological perfection presents a picture of how expertise, craftsmanship, and passion can often serve as masks for deep insecurities.
Zealots of Violence: ‘Sicario’ Creates a World That’s Thrilling, Dark & Our Own
Sicario is one of the best, most thrilling films of the year.
The Late Night Wars & the Culture Wars: What Colbert and Fallon Can Teach Us
The Late-Night Wars just might hold the key to the culture wars, as Colbert debuts his new version of The Late Show while managing to stay friendly with his late-night TV competition.
As Pale as Snow: The Publicly Private Faith of Comedian Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan’s normal, everyday approach to faith just might be his most profound content.
‘Better Call Saul’: What Makes a Man?
The central theme of ‘Better Call Saul’—Jimmy’s (later Saul) struggle with his identity as a man—takes the show to its loftiest heights.
We Are Not Things: Why ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Is More than Just a Great Action Movie
For all its depictions of depravity, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ offers us a world worth fighting for.
What ‘The Jinx’ Gets Right About Our Desire for Closure
The Jinx offers us a chance to revel in this primitive longing for closure. It sweeps us away in the euphoria of a microscopic eschaton—feelings that are at once ancient, universal, and, I believe, quite spiritual.
Cinema’s Dismal Look at the American Dream
Nightcrawler, Gone Girl, and Foxcatcher all explore the potentials and liabilities of pursuing the American dream, pressing us to consider when the attainment of personal aspirations and achievements lead to the exploitation of others.
“As It Is in Heaven” and Why You’re Closer to a Cult than You Think
As It Is in Heaven is about more than a doomsday cult. It’s a story about humanity’s longing for hope, acceptance, and community.
Look to the Heavens: Interstellar and the Relativity of Our Perspective
Inside the Metal Box: “Fury” Goes Where Most War Films Won’t
Fury is less about battle and more about how battle consumes its participants.
Believe Me: A Christian Film that Looks Inward
Believe Me quietly pushes its audience to assess at what point one can become so attached to Christian culture that it keeps them from Christ.
Putting Story Before Agenda: A Conversation with the Director of “Believe Me”
“What we’re trying to push with this movie is that as Christians, you cannot approach making movies with an agenda in mind.”
Take Up Your Calvary: Wretchedness and Grace in McDonagh’s New Film
Calvary begins with a quote from St. Augustine. Small white letters fade onto a black screen, light surrounded by immersible darkness. The epitaph reads, “Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves was damned.”
Sex, Marriage, and the Prosperity Sex Gospel: A Review of The Virgins
The Virgins moves past Christians clichés by building them into something new and charming.
