It’s said at one point in this film, “Through love comes calm, and through calm comes thought,” which can easily be spotted as a message intentionally meant for an extreme, violent time fueled by social injustice, such as the time we’re in now. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was made with that very purpose of unveiling the fabric of hatred within Americans, which it does to powerful effect. What it teaches about how to handle our anger against the political system is also what the Bible teaches: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

The most immediate sign of Christian existentialism in this film is the scene where Mildred, the film’s protagonist, is confronted by the Catholic priest in the town concerning the billboards she rented. They were put up right on Easter, and read: “Raped while dying, and still no arrests? How come, Chief Willoughby?” The priest tells her that the church ultimately detests the billboards, and that her response to her daughter getting raped and murdered is a toxic one. She just responds by comparing the church to a gang, since they’re like their own little cult that the rest of society just sees as a thorn to their side. The subject of church is never brought up again after this early scene. While this could be looked at as attacking the church, it’s still crucial to notice how this proves the way many atheists see the church: condemning outsiders and ignoring the world’s greatest problems. While this priest is seen talking to Mildred in the most loving, well-meaning way possible, he still misunderstands the real problem—the reason she put up the billboards in the first place.

It’s one of the scariest horror movies ever known, directed by one of the most articulate, most mysterious directors ever known, and adapted from a book by one of the most troubling horror authors ever known. But just how much of The Shining would Jesus approve of? Surprisingly, a lot.
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First, to define what this “shining” is: it’s described here as a way two can share a conversation without opening their mouths. The key character in this film with that ability, Danny, has a shining that talks to him, and he only gets to talk to one other person with the same ability, a worker at the Overlook Hotel named Dick. Right upon their introduction, Dick wishes to get personal with Danny, he even knows that his parents like to call him “doc,” like Bugs Bunny’s catchphrase, “What’s up, doc?” Right there, it seems that a cartoon is the sole way Danny can communicate with anyone, which is an important motif throughout the movie. 

Perhaps the most iconic work of Christopher Nolan’s career, this monumental blockbuster captured viewers everywhere with its genius approach to the human mind that took on narrative levels once thought impossible,  while utilizing old philosophies that are further explored visually in ways only the medium of film could achieve. Yet as much as this grand achievement earns its respect, the moral nature behind Inception takes on a worldly, even pagan perspective about humanity that completely disowns the existence of God. Its value instead is on achievements made by personal merits without the help of any supreme deity.
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There is an attempt to make this experience give off Biblical vibes though, as right away in the iconic first shot, Cobb washes up onto the seashore much like Jonah. (Jonah 2:10) It sets off water as a common symbol throughout the feature, especially when he receives a “kick” to wake up from this dream when his colleague pushes him into a bathtub. Then much later toward the climax, Cobb returns to his dream on the seashore, and this place is revealed to be Limbo, where distinction between truth and fiction evaporates. Thus, the water symbolizes waking up in the same way God uses water throughout Scripture to symbolize pulling sinners out of chaos, which is where the meaning of baptism comes from. In addition, the first time God destroyed the entire earth, He did so with a great flood, and when it was over, He made a promise He would never destroy the planet with water again. (Genesis 9:12-16) This theme of water being used as a form of destruction and rebuilding is used all throughout the Bible. (Exodus 14:16-29; 2 Kings 2:8,14; Matthew 3:13-17)

Just a couple of days ago, one of those horrid riots in response to the murder of George Floyd happened right in my own city, in Bellevue, Washington. Protests called for police cars to control massive crowds, and looters took advantage of the protest to break the windows of stores and spray paint graffiti all over public property; such graffiti included, "AmeriKKKa," and "I Can't Breathe." I am in genuine fury that people would stoop this low. Though I can't comprehend the exact feeling of injustice that those who were there felt, as I'm not Black, nor have I ever had a bad experience with a police officer. But the state of our country right now has just gone from worse to much worse only a week. It's completely shameful that so many people across the world allow their skin color to define differences, and even decide who's a good person and who's not. It's an absolute tragedy that a frightening number of innocent Black folks got killed by the same people who are expected to protect them, and my heart goes out to the friends and families of those murdered. So I believe this is the perfect time to share with you ten movies about Blackness that I feel are genuinely worth your time, they can allow Black people to feel proud of themselves, and can help educate other ethnicities about Black culture.

Right now, it may feel like the entire world is falling apart; businesses are shutting down, we're being forced into our houses, the curve is going up, there's no more toilet paper, wearing face masks has become the new normal, our water supply is poisoned, our crops are burned, a plague has been delivered unto our houses.

In all my twenty-seven years of living, I've never seen anything as universally affecting as Covid-19, it's impacted every single little detail about the way people worldwide live, I can't even brush my teeth without being reminded of the pandemic!

I don't know about you, but this time has left me in periods of being sorely depressed, I've very often forgotten where my hope is, because in truth, that never went anywhere. That's why I want to share with you some strong inspiring films relevant to what's going on right now- ones you can put on your "quarantine watch list" and remember the hope we still have in this rotten, dying world.

“Anyone can cook!”
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Now, Ratatouille isn’t saying anyone has the ability to cook well, while yes, anyone “can” cook, that doesn’t mean anyone “should.” Rather, good quality cooking can come from anywhere it’s not expected, showing much coming out of little the same way God chooses the most unlikely followers to carry out His duties. No matter where it comes from, newly discovered talent must be celebrated, (1 Peter 4:10) even if the talent often comes from somebody whom society disrespects. (Matthew 21:42) God always uses the weak to humble the strong, (1 Corinthians 1:27) He even put Jesus in a lowly position as a carpenter to further prove His point!

Though it’s considered dangerous for a rat like Remy to pursue his passion of cooking in a kitchen, as he’s considered a pest there, but those types of places are where God comes in to pull us through deadly waters so that we could use His gifts. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4) If you really love doing something like dancing or painting, God will make sure you’re pursuing it for His purpose, discovering and creating as Remy describes humans doing. In that way, we can discover His glory as we create things such as songs of praise. (Psalm 117:1-2)

Wow! Another year... and decade... over! These last two years have been very unpredictable for film, even if my personal life has been rather uneventful in contrast. There's been some surprises and expected flops from this year in film, and this decade as a whole has provided some major turning points in the way movies are approached and analyzed. It's also be a huge decade for me, as 2013 was when I wrote my first movie review on Gravity, and first started this blog in 2014. My, how it's grown! So looking at this year in film in particular, what stood out to me? Well, to get the negatives out of the way first, here's my 10 most miserable movie-going experiences of 2019:

Elf is still a common seasonal favorite sixteen years after its release, obviously many love it for its humor, but deeper reasons exist to why it’s still watched every Christmas. This supposedly happy time of year is in actuality stressful: planning family gatherings, seeing problematic family members, spending hundreds on Christmas decorations, feeling depressed because people aren’t celebrating Jesus’ birth, feeling depressed because people ARE celebrating Jesus’ birth, the list rolls out longer than Santa’s naughty list. That’s why Buddy the Elf is such a memorable character: he reminds us how we should keep feeling that joy on Christmas, and every day of the year.
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It seems to be a part of this movie’s intention to restore the joy in New York that was lost after the 9/11 attacks, which happened only two years before it came out. It does that by first attacking corporate America’s phony vision of Christmas, where the “fake” Santa says, “ho-ho-ho,” until his beard is removed, and his short fuse is exposed to the traumatized children. Whereas, the real Santa in this movie never says “ho-ho-ho.” Once the façade of Christmas commercialism is removed, Buddy’s contagious spirit touches all of New York until they sing together on Christmas Eve.

“Some people are worth melting for.”
“An act of true love will thaw a frozen heart.”
“Everyone’s a bit of a fixer-upper.”

You probably grew sick of the Frozen craze long ago, you probably still refuse to “let it go,” but wherever you land on the Frozen spectrum, the impact this Disney instant-classic’s themes left on multiple kids-at-heart remains irrefutable. Rare for a studio as money-focused as Disney, it successfully testifies a bit of Biblical love, that it’s an action, rather than an emotion.

Romans 12:20 teaches, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Such instances of the feature visualize the idea of a frozen heart thawing, which can be done with the warmth of a hug. The opening song explains the strength of ice, and indeed it is: God uses ice throughout the Bible as a form of judgment. (Exodus 9:13-35, Revelation 16:21) But the beauty of ice remains present, as first seen by the aurora borealis that starts Anna and Elsa’s playtime, right before seeing the trolls, because the “sky’s awake,” then Olaf says it again right before their second encounter with the trolls. This theme of ice being beautiful yet deadly keeps consistent. As Anna and Kristoff search for Elsa, they see the beauty of ice, which is the precise moment Olaf arrives. His “In Summer” song goes right back to the villagers suffering from the dangerous ice, then an icicle “impales” Olaf. Those strong modes of contrast in ice project God’s incredible ability to create beauty from deadly coldness.