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Reading Journal 2024: Winesburg, OhioAuthor: Sherwood Anderson Winesburg, Ohio could be described as; chronically melancholic, cynical, depressing. Those descriptives might be true, or at least partly true, but I think it would be a mistake to suggest that this is all the book is. As a collection of short stories that are bound together byContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Winesburg, Ohio”

Reading Journal 2024: Selfie: How The West Became Self-ObsessedAuthor: Will Storr“All we ever wanted was the illusion of control. But we have none, not really. Neither do the people around us who seem so intimidating in all their radiant perfection. Ultimately we can all take comfort in the understanding that they aren’t actually perfect, andContinue reading “Conversations About the Western Self: Common Themes in Will Storrs Selfie and Mann’s Inside Out 2”

I penned this a while back. A pair of sermon series podcasts brought it back to mind- The Crystal Sea by Greg Boyd, in which he talks about all of life, and indeed all of creation, in its finite perspective catching up to what God says is already true of it, and Darrell Johnson’s HavingContinue reading “A Thought Revisted: Students, buses, religion and philosophy: Finding Fresh Context to Consider Finiteness and the InfiniteStudents, buses, religion and philosophy: Finding Fresh Context to Consider Finiteness and the Infinite”

Film Journal 2024: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Directed by Wes Ball Set generations after the events of War, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes positions itself both directly within the timeline of the aformentioned trilogy while also establishing its own storyline. I admit, I was very uncertain heading into this one,Continue reading “Film Journal 2024: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”

Film Journal 2024: Evil Does Not ExistDirected by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi Evil Does Not Exist is a fascinating study of the ways in which simple ideas and experiences can inspire the genesis of a story. And more specifically in the case of the filmmaker, how different aspects of the form can drive a story’s function. TheContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Evil Does Not Exist”

Film Journal 2024: The Last Stop in Yuma County Directed by Francis Galluppi I wish we were given more character development. There was plenty of space sitting around at the restaurant for this to happen through dialogue and back story. Stylistically it’s going for something different however, drawing out a situational thriller in a wayContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The Last Stop in Yuma County”

Film Journal 2024: Hundreds of BeaversDirected by Mike Cheslik This film is looney tunes. In all senses of that phrase. One of them being an apt descriptive that marries a kind of live action Looney Tunes styling with an outright homage to the silent film era while blending in notes of satire, folklore (think PaulContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Hundreds of Beavers”

Reading Journal 2024: Mothered Author: Zoje Stage Stage is one of my favorite horror authors. This is probably my least favorite of her books. Great premise, less than stellar execution.  I have to hand it to her though- she knows how to write dysfunctional families and messed up mother-child relationships like it’s no one else’sContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Mothered”

Reading Journal 2024: Reading GenesisAuthor: Marilynne Robinson If there is one word to describe Robinson’s demeanor and approach it would be grace-filled. This word drives her theological commitments. It drives her scholarship. It drives her exploration of ideas and her deeply felt interest in the God-human story. Perhaps another word might be warranted here- nuanced.Continue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Reading Genesis”

Reading Journal 2024: The Sovereignty of Good Author: Iris Murdoch A fascinating little book, which is really more a collection of essays brought together to form a cohesive, and often persuasive argument against modern philosophy (read: Kant, existentialism, empiricists) and for a reclamation of Platonic ideals. I don’t agree with all of it, and IContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: The Sovereignty of Good”