Author Archives: davetcourt

Reading Journal 2023: Miracle on 34th Street Author: Valentine Davies There’s a fun bit of irony to the fact that one of the best known and most influential American christmas films is contrasted with a book you’ve likely never even heard of. This is made richer by the fact that the film and the bookContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Miracle on 34th Street”

Reading Journal 2023: The History of the SnowmanAuthor: Bob Eckstein It is a bit too perfunctory to make for a fun read, but, as it is with writing the history of anything, the snowman becomes as reasonable place as any to explore the story of our world. As it is, and the author is upfrontContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The History of the Snowman”

Film Journal 2023: The Iron Claw Directed by Sean Durkin Strong storytelling and a perfectly captured 70s vibe anchors this surprisingly emotional and deeply affective drama about a family of wrestlers. I went in cold, and the sheer weight of the story’s details really did a number on me. Likely because it was our (myContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: The Iron Claw”

Film Journal 2023: Poor Things Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos I found this article on Sartre to be a helpful companion piece to fleshing out Director Being and Nothingness One of Sartre’s glaring holes as an existentialist is his notion that nothingness (or non-existence) is liberation. Everything for him begins with a meaningless existence (which isContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Poor Things”

Film Journal 2023: Godzilla Minus OneDirected by Takashi Yamazaki Finally found the time to jump on this ever growing bandwagon, and I’m happy to say the hype is real. Its not just that setting this in post war Japan returns Godzilla to its roots and its primary metaphor representing the horrors of atomic destruction. TheContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Godzilla Minus One”

Reading Journal 2023: How Do You LiveAuthor: Genzaburo Yoshino Picked up this recently translated version of Yoshino’s popular Japanese classic upon the news that this book, reportedly famed Hayeo Miyazaki’s favorite book, would be the source material for his reportedly final film. I can see what Myazaki loves about the book. It is highly philosophicalContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: How Do You Live”

Reading Journal 2023: The Princess Bride Author: William Goldman A pure delight and a classic fairy tale true to all its form. Goldman pens a this memorable tale, filled as it is with the glorious fictional history, through the lens of his own imagined back story. The book he grew up with, the one hisContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Princess Bride”

Film Journal 2023: The Boy and the Heron Directed by Hayao Miyazaki Distanced is not a word I thought I would ever use to describe my experience with one of Miyazaki’s films, but I’m finding it hard to come up with a different descriptive. What I don’t know is if it simply needs a rewatchContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: The Boy and the Heron”

Film Journal 2023: Wonka Directed by Paul King From the voice behind the beloved Paddington films comes a colorful new vision of Wonka’s past. This is, if there was a pure defintion of the term, the very defintion of a family film, one that sees its success in bridging that gap between old and young.Continue reading “Film Journal 2023: Wonka”

The other week I mentioned to my pastor that my entire conception of Christmas was being overturned in one fell swoop this year. I consider myself to be fairly well read, and I have experience in and with a variety of denominations over my many years as a Christian. I’ve been through undergrad and seminary,Continue reading “Reimagining Christmas: Encountering A New Way of Seeing the Advent Season”