One of our favorite episodes, Kenny and Mike are joined by our good friend and regular Faithspotting contributor Dr. Ryan Parker for the annual Oscars preview episode. whe
Kenny and Mike are joined by our good friend and regular Faithspotting contributor Dr. Ryan Parker for the annual Oscars preview episode where we predict winners and share our choices for who wins the Oscars. Ryan works in public relations and marketing for independent films, and is also the Executive Director for the Misssissippi Film Society.
We agreed that this was a solid year for films and nominations. We were grateful that folks had a reason to get excited again as was experienced in the "Barbenheimer" moment, we also were happy that folks are discussing cinema thoughout various genres. While we agreed on many of the awards, there were a few differences of opinions.
Faith Spotted:
In addition to picking and justifying winners we also discussed which films most effectively and powerfully reflected faith lived and experienced in life. Subjects included the temptation and corrosive power of evil as experienced at communal and individual levels in the past as well as seems to be recurring now before our eyes and ears. The most significant question that emerges from several of the nominated films is, reminded now of the past sins of commission and omission by society, nations, and faith traditions, how will we respond as individuals and communities of faith? Will we be taken by, or stand against, the tide that seems set to pull many away from the rightsouness God desires as presented in Scripture and the life and ministry of Jesus?
Creator, Editor, Main Contributor PopTheology.com and Pop Culture RX
Ryan Parker is the creator, editor, and main contributor to poptheology.com. He completed his PhD in Religion and the Arts at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, with a focus on film and religion, particularly the history of religious cinema and contemporary independent religious films. He is the author of Cinema as Pulpit: Sherwood Pictures and the Church Film Movement, the co-editor of and contributor to Joss Whedon and Religion: Essays on an Angry Atheist’s Explorations of the Sacred, and a contributor to Light Shining in a Dark Place: Discovering Theology through Film and The Undead and Theology. He holds a BA in English from Mississippi College and an MDiv from Wake Forest University Divinity School. He lives in Hollywood with his wife, where he works in film and television marketing and development. His most recent project is the Pop Culture Prescription Blog https://popculturerx.substack.com/