46 episodes
The Thin Place Film Geek Radio
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- TV & Film
Join Ken and Todd every two weeks as they explore films that are about or advance our understanding of issues of faith and spirituality. Some films may do so overtly, through a direct examination of these themes as subjects; others may be more subtle or even opaque in the way they prompt us to think on such things. Still other films may serve primarily as a catalyst for dialogue or discussion. Insights can be gleaned from a part of a larger whole, a scene, a shot, a moment. As the title suggests, such moments can be elusive, fragile, or obscured.
George MacDonald wrote about the thinness of the veil that separates the natural from the transcendent. How does art pierce that veil? When does film contain traces of the divine? Tune in to find out.
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Episode #46: Violence in The Edge of Tomorrow
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! -
Episode #45: Lessons Learned From Philomena
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! -
Episode #44: Two Views of Wall Street
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! -
Episode #43: Looking For God in 12 Years A Slave
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! -
Episode #42: To Be or Not To Be and Comedic Dis-ease
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! -
Episode #41: The Devil's Backbone
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!
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