Author Archives: davetcourt

Film Journal 2023: 80 For BradyDirected by Kyle MarvinWhere to watch: now showing in most theaters A perfectly charming and effortlessly likeable aged comedy based on a true story. It’s not often we get films for the above 60/70 demographic, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when we do. While this isn’t really laugh outContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: 80 For Brady”

Film Journal 2023: Knock at the CabinDirected by M. Night ShyamalanWhere to watch- now playing in most theaters As a staunch M. Night defender, which seems par for the course for anyone who is a fan, I am pretty much here anytime he releases a new project. I have been particularly intrigued by Knock atContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Knock at the Cabin”

“We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).” Delved into a new book called Biblical Knowing: A Scriptural Epistemology of Error by Dru Johnson. Thus far it has been a compelling look at how the world of the Biblical text understands knowledge and how that relates to different forms of knowing thatContinue reading “Different Ways of Knowing in the Biblical Narrative”

Film Journal 2023: MissingDirected by Nicholas Johnson and Will Merrick There is a simple and satisfactory summation i could employ here to say, if you enjoyed searching you will likely enjoy Missing. However, part of what makes Missing a successful follow up to Searching, the Directors previous debut, is viewing the two films in concertContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Missing”

Was just thinking about a trip Jen and I took back in 2008 from Winnipeg to California and back around through Wyoming and Montana, driving straight through the Arizona desert heat in our 2005 Ford Focus (which I’m still driving) without air conditioning. Oi. Somewhat inspired by a book I read recently called the PowerContinue reading “All In A Tea Bag”

Film Journal 2023: Women TalkingDirected by Sarah Polley One of the most striking characteristics of Sarah Polley’s much praised adaptation of a similarly successful novel by Miriam Toews, a novel I have not read (just for context), is its narrowed scope. Based on my limited knowledge of the material I expected to find a historicalContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Women Talking”

Film Journal 2023: Infinity PoolDirected by Brandon Cronenberg Is this officially continuing the eat the rich trend from 2022? In part, although I’m still mulling over the fact that the main character, played by Alexander Skarsgard is actually an impoverished writer who “married” into money. The characters that surround him and the vacation resort himContinue reading “Film Journal 2023: Infinity Pool”

Reading Journal 2023: The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search For Meaning by Jeremy Lent Reading this book actually took me back to last year and delving in to The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber. Slight difference in focus, thesis and scope, but a definite shared concernContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search For Meaning by Jeremy Lent”

Reading Journal 2023: Legends and Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree Just to set up my experience with this book. I first heard about it early last year when it started to show up in seemingly every think piece, podcast and online discourse. For a book that had seeminglyContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: Legends and Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree”

Reading Journal 2023: The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson At one point Robinson muses about the challenges of being both an academic and a Christian. She describes how when people discover she is a Christian it tends to result in shock and confusion. In truth, the identifying feature that is probably more shockingContinue reading “Reading Journal 2023: The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson”