Revising the review a bit - to summarize: Melvin is still narcissistic, cynical, nihilistic, ungrateful, envious and worst of all, promotes physical violence towards those he disagrees with.
This podcast is leftist Tik Tok brain rot drivel - it is not serious film criticism for Christians. (See Deepfocuslense on YouTube for a similar, emotional review/response to film that Melvin used to have. Her channel is secular, but if you’re Christian and want serious discussion, see Criteria - a Catholic Film Podcast - even if you’re not Catholic, it’s far better than this garbage.)
Melvin is nasally, cynical, bitter, complaining, begs for Patreon subscribers with ad interruptions in his discussions - CONSTANTLY. Episodes are either a description of the plot of a movie or a tangential diatribe of Melvin virtue signaling with whatever way his Tik Tok algorithm deems he think. He has no original thoughts or ideas. He regurgitates Marxist ideology like a barking seal. You are better off reading AI summaries/reviews of films - AI generated text has more soul than Melvin’s podcast.
Listen to the joint Quarterly catchups he does with the “Movies & Us” podcast - the disparity in film review competency is astounding. The two women from this other podcast *ACTUALLY* talk about film in a competent, pleasant manner - whilst Melvin describes the cushions and food at a horror film showing only screened in an exclusive theater, that no one else can or will see - then complains about how bad the film was. He has nothing to offer, yet he monopolizes the discussion - he does the same with his most common co-hosts, his wife and sister, both of whom have far more interesting things to say, in a much less perturbed tone. This is all part of the act you see.
Melvin masquerades as one of those creepy male feminists (you know the type - he even has the eyeliner, painted nails, pink hair and septum piercing to match) who ascribes to Marxist power theory à la the fictional narrative of the ever present and oppressive patriarchy. Melvin has all the makings of a narcissist who feigns “allyship” to garner favor with women to satiate his self-imposed perception of inadequacy by siphoning attention from these women. By his own admission he has no male friends, and willingly cut any he had, out of his life. By his own word, he saw male friends as “competition” - and thus could not stand their presence, something typical of narcissists. This whole podcast is not about the love of film, no - it’s a platform for a narcissist to make himself the center of attention.
Despite all this - Melvin still claims to be a Christian. He HATES most Christians though. He does not belong to a local church and abhors most confessional/orthodox doctrines that the Church has held to a vast majority of its 2,000 year existence - everything from traditional gender roles in church/family to how God created Adam (male) and Eve (female). Melvin HATES rich people (he openly advocates for the release of Luigi M, a cold blooded murderer), HATES conservatives, HATES anyone to the right of Stalin apparently. The absolute most bizarre and nihilistic of them all - he HATES families who have lots of kids - unironically calling them “eugenicists.” (See the podcast episode on “Welcome to Leith” for this vitriolic take.) Ultimately, he hates what his nihilistic social media algorithm tells him to hate - just like how Jesus commanded us right?
Melvin spreads hate… because he hates himself. Melvin hates how God made him. He resents God. (see his review of “I Saw the TV Glow.” Unashamedly, all there.) He’s ungrateful, bitter and envious. He can spread only the chaos that infests his psyche. That’s why there’s no positive Christian films that he reviews. The Malick films, all of the Tarkovsky’s , Eric Rohmer’s films, Robert Bresson’s films, Secret Sunshine - Good. True. Beautiful (Phil 4:8) films. There’s some that he’s reviewed (during the Tree of Life review, he was noticeably annoyed and cynical when his co-hosts positively reviewed it) in general though, this is an exception rather than the rule. What does he mostly, positively review you ask? Godforsaken, gratuitous horror films (listen to the review of “When Evil Lurks” - he maniacally laughs while describing a sequence where a dog kills a small child. There is an alarming discomfort in his cohost/wife’s voice when he does this), or convoluted stories of confused identity. He’d rather watch/laugh at women and children being mutilated (he loves those “Terrifier” films) than connect with films with deep theological/spiritual/philosophical resonance. It all figures.
Melvin constantly attempts to refute Christians he disagrees with (ie: those he hates) by asking them to look at the fruit of their lives. I wonder if Melvin ever does the same for himself? What fruit has this false, self centered, debased version of “christianity” Melvin clings to - wrought in his life? An ashen wasteland of broken relationships - willingly cutting out all male friends in his life? A “perpetually unstable” identity filled with so much confusion and uncertainty - so overbearing that it causes him to doubt whether he is even a man or not? (He is by the way) A social media presence with ABSOLUTELY NO engagement save when he decides to “rage bait”? A “christian” life where he doesn’t submit to the authority of a church? A nihilistic hatred of large families? Crying victim when faced with criticism whilst simultaneously leaping for joy when a right-of-center conservative Christian is shot in the neck? A position of advocating for the release of a Barabas-like cold blooded murderer? A “christian” podcast that NEVER emphasizes the good, true or beautiful? (I have fabricated none of these questions - ALL of the previous has publicly made by Melvin’s own admissions.) Seems to me if there is fruit - it is rot from the core out.
I pity you Melvin. I’ll be praying for you
