Protected by the night, a gang of street toughs bully a young initiate into attacking an innocent bystander. But as the boy hesitates and the bystander pleads for help, heavy footsteps echo from a nearby tunnel. With every step punctuated by composer Michael Giacchino’s thundering score, Batman emerges from the shadows, slowly, menacingly. “Who [are] …
Living Lutheran: Privilege and Participation in The Batman Read More »
Early in the screen musical In the Heights, matriarch Abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz) describes the velvet gloves her mother purchased when she immigrated from Cuba to the Manhattan barrio Washington Heights. What some might see as an unnecessary extravagance for a family struggling to make ends meet, Abuela Claudia sees as a necessary remembrance. “We had to assert …
At times, the Pixar movie Onward plays like an animated adaptation of a lost story by J.R.R. Tolkien or C.S. Lewis. It follows elf brothers Ian (voiced by Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) on a quest to retrieve a gem and complete the magic spell that will allow them to spend 24 hours with their deceased father. …
Like most film snobs, I\’m annoyed with this year\’s Oscar picks. Not only did the Academy choose to nominate some mediocre (if not outright bad) work, but they ignored some of the most exciting films and performances in an outstanding cinematic year.Fortunately, Living Lutheran assuaged my irritation a little by letting me write about some …
Living Lutheran: \”Valuing the Unvalued in the Movies of 2019\” Read More »
Like most film snobs, I\’m annoyed with this year\’s Oscar picks. Not only did the Academy choose to nominate some mediocre (if not outright bad) work, but they ignored some of the most exciting films and performances in an outstanding cinematic year.Fortunately, Living Lutheran assuaged my irritation a little by letting me write about some …
Living Lutheran: \”Valuing the Unvalued in the Movies of 2019\” Read More »
Living in the world means remembering which world we are of.
I\’ve loved superheroes since before I could read, but I really got into comics in the early 90s, when I learned that the heroes have aged and some have passed on their identities. Former Kid Flash Wally West became the Flash, and the first Robin Dick Grayson became Nightwing and Tim Drake was now the …
Living Lutheran:The Gifts of Discipleship inAvengers: Endgame Read More »
There\’s been a lot written about the Randian undertones in Brad Bird\’s movies, particularly The Incredibles. The sequel Incredibles 2 is a bit more blurry in its messaging, but one thing is clear: the movie worries that everyday people too quickly live vicariously through famous or \”great\” people. From Screenslaver\’s monologue to Mr. Incredible\’s storyline …
Living Lutheran: “What Incredibles 2 teaches about heroism” Read More »
I know this is a weird statement, given the team\’s name, but all four of the Avengers movies have a surprising central theme: forgiveness. In each case, characters who are used to doing things by themselves find themselves putting up with other big egos. The central tension in these movies isn\’t so much their battles …
For Living Lutheran, I wrote about what I saw as the prominent trend in 2017 movies: a focus on those who are dejected, powerless, and (financially, politically) weak.The films that resonated most with critics and audiences were about the monstrosity of systematic racism (Get Out), the poor outside of Disneyland (The Florida Project), the mute …