Mere musings on culture, life, and theology by Samuel James
Samuel James on September 14, 2017 At one time in my life I had very serious aspirations to sit for hours at a time in a movie theater, watch films, write about them, and make money (or at least, break even!). I no longer have those desires. I still love movies, and am rarely happier than in a cinema. And I…
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Samuel James on May 6, 2017 I have a quick word on this take on movies and culture from Freddie deBoer. I agree with 99% of what he says, and have tried at various times to make the point he makes. But I do have one issue with his thinking, and that is his notion that a film without sex is…
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Samuel James on March 3, 2017 Look at this headline from a movie review in The Metro: The evangelical entertainment 'The Shack' is almost a real movie I'm not entirely sure why, but what struck me most about this headline was not the clever zinger, but the term "evangelical entertainment." When I read that, I thought: "It is?" I suppose I've…
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Samuel James on February 1, 2017 My wife and I saw La La Land last night. I found it dazzlingly entertaining, and even more than a bit moving. Emma Stone fully deserves her Oscar nomination (Ryan Gosling was fine, but his performance has been overrated). I think it's one of my favorite films from last year. I was genuinely surprised by the…
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Samuel James on December 16, 2016 Some first impressions from tonight's screening of Rogue One: This is the Star Wars film that critics of George Lucas' prequels wanted instead. I told my brother-in law-in the car heading home that Rogue One is a love letter to fans of the original series. The comparisons to The Force Awakens are inevitable. But these…
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