When wealth divides I watched Elysium because I am fond of science fiction and believe it one of the best genres in which to…
The Green Frontier (Netflix); Ragnarok (Netflix); Evil (CBS)
Supernatural realities Although perspectives shaped by the Enlightenment—within or without the church—will have barely noticed, the world is rife with mystery, principalities, mystical voices,…
A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick, 2019)
A Hidden Life shouldn’t be hidden “A darker time is coming,” we hear in Terrence Malick’s new film A Hidden Life. “Men will be…
Korean Dramas as Spiritual Soul Therapy
Our modern problem is not that we are too romantic, but that we are not romantic enough. Our longing for love and romance tell…
Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019)
A death without a body From the beginning my goal in Critique has been to call attention to films that are worth discussion and…
Conspiracy (Frank Pierson, 2001)
What does evil look like? Once upon a time the face of evil was easily recognizable at least in the movies. It looked like…
Amazing Grace (Alan Elliot & Sydney Pollack, 2018)
The power of gospel The gospel music tradition has its roots in the 17th century with Christian hymns and spirituals sung in black churches,…
Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, 2019)
Responding to satire I came to appreciate Neil Gaiman as a storyteller and fantasy author by reading his 2001 novel American Gods. In it…
Our Planet (David Attenborough; 2019)
Wonder and stewardship Each episode of Our Planet (2019) opens with the same dazzling image. The camera is in space, hovering above the surface of…
Russian Doll (Leslye Headland, Jamie Babbit, Natasha Lyonne, 2019)
Playing with time, reality and death Russian Dollis not a movie. It’s a Netflix (2019) series of eight half hour programs that I binge…