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Category Archives: philosophy
“Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present.”
The Wachowski’s ambitious film Cloud Atlas (2012) doesn’t achieve everything it aims for, but it does achieve a lot of what it wants. At least I think it does. Having read the novel by David Mitchell, I’m a little concerned … Continue reading
“It’s what I choose to believe.”
At first, faith doesn’t seem to come off very well in Prometheus (Scott, 2012). The film portrays faith as merely an arbitrary choice. If there is no evidence, then how do you know there is a God? You simply choose … Continue reading
“I just keep wishing I could think of a way to show them, that they don’t own me.”
This spring two strikingly-similarly themed movies were released within three-weeks of each other. Joss Whedon’s Cabin in the Woods and Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games both tell the story of teenagers who are trapped in an artificially controlled environment to … Continue reading
Posted in film, philosophy, theology
Tagged Cabin in the Woods, Cthulhu, heroes, horror, Joss Whedon, nihilism, pacifism, The Hunger Games
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“The nuns taught us there are two ways through life. The way of Nature and the way of Grace.”
Whatever else Terrence Malick‘s film The Tree of Life (Malick, 2011) is about, it is clearly about the struggle between Nature and Grace. The relationship between Nature and Grace is a standard theme discussed by all great Catholic theologians from Augustine to Aquinas … Continue reading
Posted in film, philosophy, theology
Tagged evil, grace, job, nature, Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
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“That weren’t no man!”
I just watched the pilot episode of Frank Darabont‘s zombie TV series The Walking Dead. I loved the scene where the main character, after learning about the nature of zombies, goes back to the first zombie he met, a woman … Continue reading
“You can have Plato, and I’ll stick with Pluto (and Mickey, and Goofy).”
True story: My two-year old daughter thinks Mickey Mouse’s dog‘s name is Plato. The quote in the post’s title comes from The Muppet Show episode where Sylvester Stallone sings a parody of the Gershwin song “Let’s Call The Whole Thing … Continue reading
Posted in philosophy
Tagged humor, Maggie, Mickey Mouse, Plato, Sylvester Stallone, The Muppet Show
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“Well, they treated me pretty badly at first, but then they found out I tried to kill a film critic. You know, in Texas, it’s not even a crime.”
This week I’m moving from film industry hub Los Angeles to Houston where I will be a college philosophy professor. In honor of my move, I’m posting my entry for “5ive Things“, a blog sponsored by L.A.’s wonderful public radio … Continue reading
Posted in film, philosophy
Tagged Blood Simple, Bottle Rocket, Days of Heaven, Errol Morris, Houston, KCRW, Los Angeles, Martin Scorsese, Primer, Terrence Malick, Texas, The Coen Brothers, The Thin Blue Line, Wes Anderson
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“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”
Like all of Christopher Nolan’s movies Inception (Nolan, 2010) is about self-deception (self-inception?, being the beginning of oneself?), particularly the self-deception involved in giving meaning to your life after a tragic and life-shattering event. I’ve only seen the movie once, … Continue reading
Posted in film, philosophy
Tagged Christopher Nolan, Inception, meaning of life, self-deception, skepticism
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“We must always remember and we must never forget, the fact that the person being executed is a human being.”
I’ve long been a fan of Errol Morris’s documentaries The Thin Blue Line and The Fog of War — and not just because they both have beautiful musical scores by Philip Glass! — but now, having just seen Mr. Death, … Continue reading
Posted in film, philosophy
Tagged death penalty, documentary, Errol Morris, ethics, Mr. Death, politics, self-deception, The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line, war
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