Modern Stories and the Wild Things of God
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From prehistory on through today, the stories we tell show our spiritual lives. In recent years, the storytelling of film, television, and stage is enjoying a spiritual renaissance. Religion was once an unspoken taboo in the movies, but now films consciously present enduring spiritual metaphors, such as "the Force" and "the Matrix," to name just two. Have a look at some of the Wild Things of God on screen.
Recent Reviews
- Into the Wild
- Chris McCandless' journey into the wild... and into the soul.
- Pan's Labyrinth
- coming-of-age in the worlds of magic and horror.
Older Reviews
- 40 Days and 40 Nights
- a refreshing look at religion and sexuality
- The Bourne Identity
- the struggle to know who we are
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- Lewis' beloved allegory comes to the screen
- The Constant Gardener
- a thriller that calls out for love and compassion.
- The Day after Tomorrow
- a disaster movie with a serious warning
- Duma
- A shared lesson in life learned by a boy, a cheetah, and a wanderer.
- Fight Club
- Awakening as freedom from the world
- First Contact, 2005
- my reviews of the notable “first contact” stories of 2005 in film and television.
- Lord of the Rings
- an epic portrayal of the spiritual battle
- The Matrix Saga
- a profound examination of the matrix of delusion and liberation from it
- The Navigator
- a desperate pilgrimage to the other side of the world.
- The Passion of the Christ
- a graphic depiction of Christ's suffering (and little else)
- Peter Pan
- The illusion of youth, and the reality of love.
- Pleasantville
- an ingenious retelling of Eden, the Fall, and Redemption
- Seven Years in Tibet
- a true story of one man's transformation
- Spider-Man 2
- a realistic look at the difficulties of the bodhisattva warrior
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring
- a stunningly beautiful portrayal of the cycle of life
- Waking Life
- awakening from the dream-world
- What the #$*! Do We Know?
- the interconnectedness of the Universe, consciousness, and God
Background still © 1977 Twentieth-Century Fox.