Back after a hiatus, Ken and Todd discuss Doug Liman's sci-fi film, The Edge of Tomorrow. Why is the way violence is represented in the film particularly disturbing? Are we intended to laugh at it? And why does Todd say the movie reminded him of watching someone play a video game? DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Just in time for the Academy Awards, Ken and Todd look at one of the nominees: Stephen Frears's Philomena. How does the film depict its protagonist's Roman Catholicism, and what can those outside that denomination learn from her example? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and plot summary: SPOILER WARNINGS. 4:57 - Being interested in other people. 10:40 - Philomena as a "good" Catholic and the power of habit. 22:50 - Institutions and the individuals who populate them. 30:00 - The acting, and a minor reservation. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd talk about depictions of Wall Street in Oliver Stone's film of the same name and, more recently, in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. What does Stone's dedication tell us about which character is the moral center? Does Bud Fox look into the abyss or dive in head first? How does Jordan Belfort compare to Gordon Gekko, and how does that comparison reveal ways America has changed in the last three decades? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro, plot summary, and selling your soul to the devil. 5:41 - "I don't feel terribly judgmental against Bud..." 10:15 - Who am I? 14:42 - "Greed is Good" 19:22 - Poor, smart, and without feeling. 22:40 - On morally "shooting par." 29:00 - Repentance and temptation. 37:00 - "There's justice in the world" DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken examine 12 Years a Slave. Is God absent from the world of slavery? Are there contemporary lessons or themes to be drawn from this historical drama? Why is the singing of "Roll Jordan" the most important scene? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro, quoting scripture to justify what you want. 3:55 - God is merciful and will forgive a merciful act. 9:05 - Roll Jordan Roll 14:29 - Mr. Bass and White Guilt 24:30 - Characters vs. Character Types. 29:05 - Self interest vs. Duty. 34:50 - What it says to and about us today. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken take a look at Ernst Lubitsch's To Be or Not to Be. Should some topics be off limits for comedy? What line did even Lubitsch's team fear went too far? Who is the film's real villain? (Hint: it's not the Nazis.) What films today make us similarly uneasy and what can we learn from films that disquiet us? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro, plot and genre mashing. 5:03 - Contemporary equivalents? 10:00 - What makes us uneasy? 21:00 - What is the purpose of the joke? 24:30 - Not that different from us. 33:30 - There is a real bad guy. 39:22 - Greenberg and everyday heroism. 46:36 - Carole Lombard and closing remarks. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd discuss Guillermo del Toro's horror film that has recently received the Criterion treatment. What is the difference between horror and Gothic? When is violence tragic rather than just shocking? How does belief in "the curse" unite the materialist and the spiritually minded? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and plot summary. 5:30 - Horror or Gothic? 13:45 - The Curse 19:35 - Reinforcing plot themes with visual style. 29:30 - The cyclical nature of violence. 37:30 - Tragedy vs. accident. 41:50 - Closing comments. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd are back, and they are discussing one of this fall's most anticipated films: Gravity. Is it a thriller or a drama? What do we mean when we call something a "good" film? Is it "well made" or "effective"? And can the hosts avoid the implication that, for a Christian, content is more important than technique when judging a film? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and assessment 2:30 - Thriller or drama? 13:44 - "I'm going to pray now: please save me." 29:48 - Do more powerful tools always result in better art? 49:14 - Concluding remarks DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken discuss Vittorio De Sica's poignant saga of an aged pensioner trying to avoid eviction. What are the differences between empathy and pity and which does the film invoke? Is Umberto D. unlikable? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and plot summary. 8:40 - Simply not a likable fellow. 18:00 - Umberto D. vs. Karin in Stromboli. 18:50 - A moment of grace? 30:55 - Just step in front of the train and be done with it... 39:00 - We should all just love our dogs and be happy. 42:02 - Walking back some of the criticisms. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Peter Waldron drops in on The Thin Place to sub for the vacationing Todd and to render Ken momentarily speechless with his take on one of the more iconic climactic moments in Hollywood history. Does Ethan Edwards have a redemptive moment? Does he need one? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and new impressions. 4:55 - He doesn't align himself with either side. 13:00 - Redemption for Ethan? 18:50 - A moment of grace? 23:30 - Beliefs in conflict. 27:00 - Which is the real Ethan? 32:30 - A twist ending? DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd look at the original pacific rim monster and compare the theme of sacrifice in Gojira to that presented in modern disaster films. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro and summary. 6:30 - Mass destruction without mass death? 13:40 - The Disneyificaiton of Sacrifice. 15:30 - The enemy is other people. 23:10 - Gospels of Sin Management. 30:40 - Heroism, sacrifice, and post-war films. 43:00 - The cultural air we breathe. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd examine the conventions of action films and how White House Down uses them. Do action films promote American exceptionalism? How does the use of comic relief undercut the film's moral seriousness? What makes a true hero? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro: Why we are discussing White House Down 5:40 - What are the film's genre conventions? 14:50 - Conflict, resolution, and social order 18:00 - American exceptionalism 29:10 - Death and comic relief 38:18 - True heroism and cultural values 44:14 - Concluding remarks DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken look at Ingmar Bergman's The Magician. Is the film about the conflict between rationalism and faith or the conflict between performers and critics? What did Bergman say about the film in interviews? What makes Ken say that Bergman is the director he's tried the hardest to like without success? Did The Magician change his mind? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Introduction and plot summary. 5:00 - True believers and true doubters. 12:50 - Step by step into darkness. 22:48 - On needing to be loved. 32:17 - Who are we? Masks and public performance. 40:51 - What is our delusion? 44:10 - Closing remarks and recommendations. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd discuss Ramin Bahrani's At Any Price. Which family member did Todd want to see more of? What connections does Ken see between this film and Chop Shop? Is the film's climactic sermon meant ironically? WARNING: Plot spoilers.. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Introduction: Expand or Die. 6:51 - Modern farms, prodigal sons, crimes and punishments. 08:45 - The church sermon. 17:46 - "I don't know what to do." 27:03 - External vs. Internal Contentment. 29:24 - Bahrani's work and overall assessments. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken discuss the films of Roberto Rossellini, focusing on Stromboli. How sympathetic is Karin? What does the film's reference to the book of Isaiah mean? Is the ending positive, negative or ambiguous? WARNING: Plot spoilers. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro to Rossellini. 3:30 - Plot summary and Karin's shifting story. 07:25 - Isaiah 65:1. 15:51 - Timeliness. 20:06 - How to read the ending. 28:30 - Is Karin unlikable? 33:30 - Getting back to the end. 41:20 - Where to watch the film. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd discuss Brian Helgeland’s hagiography of Jackie Robinson. SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Christian Movies vs. Thinking Christian 4:30 - General assessments. 13:00 - Historical foreknowledge and narrative complexity. 21:20 - Of showers and maternity wards. 37:19 - How do we effect change? 40:43 - Truth and feeling good. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken look at Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, and ponder whether or not being written into a computer program is an apt metaphor for predestination. Also, what makes Ken compare Wreck-It Ralph to Paradise Lost? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Wreck-It Ralph vs. Toy Story. 4:30 - Predestination. 12:30 - Adult themes -- hating your job. 18:00 - Is Satan just misunderstood? 23:00 - Parallel worlds and the transcendent world. 29:00 - Free will metaphors: "rehtorical" vs. actual "have to" DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken discuss Martin Scorsese's (in)famous imagination of the life of Jesus. Is it really blasphemous? Is it any good? Do you have to watch a movie to be able to boycott it? And how do you pronounce "Nikos Kazantzakis"? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - The infamous production history--or why Ken saw Die Hard on his honeymoon. 6:00 - Responses today. 10:56 - Whose fault was it?: The script. 15:04 - Who is this Jesus, exactly? 19:29 - Film vs. Novel: Problems with abstraction. 33:00 - Well, how should Christians respond? 43:46 - What was Scorsese's intent? 47:00 - Other Jesus movies. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Todd and Ken examine the morality of making stories about other people’s lives. What is the difference between "truth" and "accuracy," and is accomplishing one ever an excuse for neglecting the other? Should historical fiction be judged differently from imaginative fiction? Why or why not? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Should we judge historical fiction differently? 4:45 - One person's suffering is another's entertainment 8:57 - The opposite of truth is not fiction: Zero Dark Thirty 13:53 - Dead Man Walking and agenda-driven films 18:45 - Do we trust the artist? 27:00 - Truth telling and story telling: Zero Dark Thirty again 33:00 - What bothers Todd more than historical inaccuracies? 38:00 - What do we want in historical movies? DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd look at John Ford’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel. What is the difference between poverty and destitution? Who is the audience surrogate? How is mythologizing the past different from arguing about the present? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro; The Convict and the Preacher 4:00 - Surrender vs. Plucky Resolve 10:05 - Family is what is true. 13:44 - Form vs. content. 18:00 - I don’t know where the next thing is coming from... 25:00 - Mythologizing vs. Agenda driven filmmaking. 32:00 - Who is the audience? 35:00 - Being persuaded and being moved. DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!

Ken and Todd claim that Peter Jackson doesn't really understand the material that he is adapting. Is there any way they can back up such a claim? SHOW NOTES: 0:00 - Intro; "certain technical aspects of the film..." 12:45 - "Do you even know what this story is about...?" 22:00 - "It felt dumbed-down to me." 26:02 - "The Hobbit is not a prequel." 30:00 - Speaking of Gollum.... 33:30 - The change we hated the most. 40:30 - Surfaces vs. Deep Roots. 45:00 - Growing vs. Changing DON'T FORGET: You can contact us by emailing thethinplace@filmgeekradio.com. Thanks for listening!