Cinema Faith

  The Oscars were on March 15 which means another year of film is officially over. Before moving on, Jon and Tim take a look back at all the highlights...

  The Oscar nominations are out and Sentimental Value is up for nine of them. That’s the most nominations ever for a Norwegian film, and the honors are richly deserved. It’s...

  I’ve always hated Shakespeare with a passion. Why watch a play if you can’t understand what the characters are saying? Hamnet changed that for good. Not only is the movie...

  There’s always a movie that flies under the radar only to end up being one of the best of the year. Sorry, Baby claims the title for 2025. The film...

  Paul Thomas Anderson may be the best director working today. His career as a writer/director transcends genre and convention with unique stories and characters every time he steps behind...

  Darren Aronofsky is best known as a writer/director of provocative films like Black Swan, Mother!, and Requiem for a Dream. Movies that are hard to watch and harder to forget. Caught Stealing is...

  2020 was a pivotal moment in American history. We disappeared into our homes and came out a divided nation. That’s the backdrop for Eddington. Ari Aster, the writer/director best...

  In an age of superhero gluttony, do we need another Superman? Yes! In fact, Superman has exactly what the Marvel Universe has been lacking lately: fun. And James Gunn...

  At the beginning of June, Jon drove up to visit Tim in Kansas City. They ate junk food, went kayaking, and watched a ton of movies — male friendship...

  Oscar season is six months away, but we've already seen one of the best films of 2025. And believe it or not… it's a vampire movie. The difference is...

  Welcome to our first podcast of the 2025 movie season! We're starting things off with a bang — a British spy thriller from genre master Steven Soderbergh. Kathryn (Cate...

  Welcome to the season finale of the Cinema Faith podcast! 2024 was an incredible year for film and we're ending it by discussing a movie up for 10 Oscar...

  Every time Sean Baker makes a movie, it feels like an event. His 2017 film The Florida Project landed on numerous top 10 lists and earned Willem Dafoe an Oscar nomination....

  Conclave is what awards season is all about. A prestigious cast at the top of their game with an acclaimed director firing on all cylinders. Edward Berger's last film, All...

  Joker was the surprise hit of 2019. Not only did it crush the box office, it was released to critical acclaim and 11 Oscar nominations. Needless to say, expectations were...

  If you were told the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now has been working on a sci-fi epic for the last 40 years and invested $120 million of his own money...

  Oscar season is months away, but we may have already seen the best movie of 2024. I Saw the TV Glow is a haunting tour de force from writer/director...

  The marketing campaign for Longlegs was perfection. Glowing early reviews, a knockout trailer, and glimpses of Nicolas Cage in the title role as a demonic serial killer. The movie… was not....

  Ah summer. The time for dumb, big-budget action movies that explode on a movie theater near you. Unless you're Richard Linklater. Linklater's Hit Man contains all the fun of the season...

  June is the month where we break from the normal format of the Cinema Faith podcast and deliver something different. This year, Cinema Faith founder Jonathan Butrin talks directly...

  Releasing Civil War in an election year could have been irresponsible, but Alex Garland knows better. The writer/director, best known for Ex Machina, has crafted a sober warning to America. Is anyone still...

  March is a wasteland for film — the place bad movies go to die after being rejected by the Academy and the box office. Every once in a while,...

Welcome to the last podcast of the 2023 movie season! And what a perfect show to end on. Yorgos Lanthimos doesn't make movies for everyone. He's an absurdist filmmaker who...

Now that the holidays are winding down, it's time to turn our attention once again to Oscar season. May December may have December in the title, but it's far from a...

Four years after The Irishman, Martin Scorsese is back in the director's chair. But this time, he leaves behind the familiar world of the Mob to explore a different kind of...

Remember your first cell phone? For some it was a BlackBerry, the do-it-all device with a physical keyboard that took the business world by storm. Today no one owns a...

We weren't able to record a Cinema Faith podcast for September, but fear not! We'll be back next month with a movie that was released to critical acclaim in 2023,...

Remember when Christopher Nolan made indies? We don't either. Gone are the days of Memento and Insomnia, movies buoyed to success by raw power and word-of-mouth. Now every film Nolan makes is...

On a hot summer night in June, Jon Butrin drove to Kansas City, MO to visit Tim Nelson for four days. They went swimming, ate barbecue, and watched Cocaine Bear....

Nine years ago Guardians of the Galaxy burst on the scene like a breath of fresh air. Just as Marvel was starting to become repetitive and stale, Gunn introduced a brand new...

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is the Top Gun: Maverick of 2023. A movie you go into expecting nothing and walk out from in movie heaven. How can a film based...

Damien Chazelle burst onto the scene with 2014's Whiplash, a perfect film and one of the most memorable theater experiences of all time. Two incredible movies followed: La La Land and First Man....

Steven Spielberg. The name associated with the biggest moments in movie history. From killer sharks to Oskar Schindler, Spielberg re-defined movie magic, touched our hearts, and brought out the child...

It's November and that can only mean one thing: Oscar season is officially here! For the next three months, studios will be rolling out their best releases of 2022. Want...

Halloween is almost here which means it's time for all things scary. To celebrate, we're reviewing a horror movie released in June called The Black Phone. Or as we call...

In the world of animation, Toy Story changed everything. With that instant classic in 1995, Pixar ushered in a new era of family entertainment with stunning visuals and and rich themes...

Few names in Hollywood carry with them event status. Jordan Peele is one of them. Ever since the first trailer dropped in February, Nope was marked as the event of...

Tim couldn't be with us this month, but fear not! We found a worthy replacement. After talking about him all year, Dan Baker is finally a guest on the Cinema...

Who thought a sequel to Top Gun would actually be worth watching? Not us. But director Joseph Kosinski had other plans. His sequel to the 1986 original feels like the...

Everyone is familiar with the multiverse thanks to Marvel, but we've never seen it quite like this. Everything Everywhere All at Once offers a fresh take on the concept of multiple...

Coda won the highest honor at this year's Oscars, but the academy failed to recognize the true best picture of 2021: Drive My Car. Car did win an Oscar for Best International Feature...

How many times can Batman be rebooted? We know the story. We know the villains. What fresh take could anyone add to the franchise? Enter Matt Reeves, a director with...

Welcome to the first Cinema Faith podcast in two years! Covid changed everything and Cinema Faith was no exception. Our website has been mostly dormant since March of 2020, but...

Christmas movies are overrated. Why not spend the holidays with a film full of sociopaths instead? That was Netflix's gamble when they released Martin Scorsese's latest offering on their streaming platform in December. According to them, 26 million people have streamed the movie to date. Clearly, the gamble paid off.Scorsese has made a lot of features in his 50+ years of filmmaking, but he'll always be best known for his mob movies. The Irishman is the perfect culmination of that legacy. The film is filled with actors that have been with Scorsese from the beginning including Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Harvey Keitel, while even borrowing the Godfather himself: Al Pacino. Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses, The Irishman tells the story of Frank Sheeran (De Niro), a hit man for mob boss Russell Bufalino (Pesci). Sheeran is assigned to be the go-between for the mob and famous union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), but their relationship blossoms into a genuine friendship. That proves problematic for Sheeran, however, when Hoffa steps on the wrong toes and becomes the mob's next target. The Irishman is the kind of movie Scorsese could only make this late in his career. All of his signature trademarks are there, but unlike Scorsese's previous mob entries, The Irishman takes the time to explore what happens to a gangster in his final years when all that's left is regret. With five Golden Globes under its belt, the movie is sure to be a major Oscar contender and the perfect highlight reel of Scorsese's legacy.Join Jon and Tim on this month's podcast as they discuss Goodfellas vs. The Godfather, Martin Scorsese's online rant, the problem with Netflix, what makes mob movies interesting, Al Pacino's yelling scenes, Tim's resemblance to Santa Clause, the answer to the stuffing mystery, Robert DeNiro's CGI eyes, Jon's controversial opinion, a defense of It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Hoffa as a Christ character, how are choices define us, the inevitability of regret, and what truly matters at the end of our lives.

As protests spring up worldwide and economic populism becomes the defining politic of the moment, it was only a matter of time before a film tapped into the zeitgeist. That film is Parasite. The movie, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, nabbed the Palm d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, opened in wide release across the country, and has already raked in close to $100 million domestically. Not bad for a foreign film with subtitles.Parasite is about a family of four struggling to make ends meet in a cramped South Korean apartment. Through a chance encounter with an old friend, the oldest son of the family, Kim Ki-woo, lands a tutoring gig for a rich family of four across town who are on the opposite end of the ladder socially and economically. Eventually, Kim Ki-woo sees an opportunity worth exploiting. Through a series of events, Kim Ki-woo finds a way to employ every member of his poor family in the household of the rich family, all while acting as if they are complete strangers. From there, the movie takes a variety of twists and turns, encompasses multiple genres, and finally culminates in a shocking climax. Joon-Ho's directing is crisp and precise. Every shot is honed for maximum impact, and every scene is filled with meaning and symbolism. Some stories are powerful enough to transcend language and culture. Parasite is one of them.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss the movies they're thankful for, a defense of cool whip, why Jon hates Star Wars, the lost theater amenity, strangers in loveseats, Tim's favorite parasite, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the myth of class dynamism, Jeff Bezos vs. Amazon factory workers, how elites manipulate the masses, why money can buy happiness, and the ways wealth disguises suffering beneath the surface.

No film in recent memory has been as polarizing as Joker. A scroll through Rotten Tomatoes reveals a spectrum of reactions ranging from the highest praise of the year to anger that the movie was even made. One thing's for sure though: everyone has seen it. Joker is officially the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time bringing in $856.3 million to date. And everyone who's seen it has an opinion. Naturally, the time has come for ours.Joker certainly isn't your average comic book movie. For starters, director Todd Phillips treats the material like a straight-forward psychological drama. Substituting Chicago for Gotham would in no way lessen its impact. For some, that's part of the problem. For others, it's a breath of fresh air. But Joker‘s ultimate offering is the only thing everyone can agree on: Joaquin Phoenix. In what's sure to net him his fourth Oscar nomination, Phoenix is nothing short of a revelation. He brings a haunting, physical approach to the Joker that manages to stand out even in the shadow of the other infamous portrayals of the villain. The praise for Phoenix is unanimous. And yet, no one can agree on the movie he stars in.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss their reactions to the reactions, the 50th Cinema Faith podcast, Ben Stiller's directing, the Mongolian Grill experience, Joaquin Phoenix's filmography, Jon's man-crushes, the streaming revolution, why Millenials don't appreciate Tim Burton enough, Robert De Niro's read-through, comedy directors doing serious films, Tim's HBO subscription, why we need to talk about mental illness, the duty of citizens in a social contract, banning art, and the way of cruciform love.

Booksmart has been on our radar since its release in May. With a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, it's one of the best-reviewed films of the year. But now, it's our turn. Does the movie live up to the hype?Booksmart is the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde. Whatever faults Wilde brings to her first outing, casting isn't one of them. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play Amy and Molly, two high school seniors who have made school their sole focus. With their enrollment secured at a prestigious university, they feel superior to their fellow classmates who seemingly care more about partying than homework. But when Amy and Molly learn that the students they looked down on have been accepted to the same elite universities as them, they suddenly realize they may squandered the last four years of their life and vow to cram all of the fun they could have had into one raucous night.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss Ira Glass' good looks, why radiation is scary, coming of age films, Jon's pick for the best movie of all time, why we're better than the New York Times, what "thirsty" means, why comedies just need to be funny, the birth of Joker time, when problems feel like the end of the world, the beauty of the Gospel, the false gods of our culture, the perils of individualism, and the value of loyalty.

The ninth film from Quentin Tarantino is now playing, and it's filled to the brim with everything you love or hate about his movies. When Once Upon a Time In Hollywood was first announced, we admittedly feared the worst. A Tarantino film about the Manson murders? Gulp. But the end result is guaranteed to surprise you.Hollywood is the collision of two different stories and two different eras. The first story follows fictional actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) at the tail-end of the 60's coming to grips with the death of the cowboy hero and the birth of 70's counter-culture. The second story chronicles real-life actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) as she follows the trajectory that leads to her real-life murder at the hands of the Manson cult. How do the two tales connect, and what is Tarantino's take on those fateful murders of 1969? The answers are best experienced spoiler-free, but one thing is certain: Hollywood is a welcome return to form for Tarantino after The Hateful Eight. The film is as entertaining as summer movies get with layers of depth to mine underneath the surface. Love him or hate him, a Tarantino film is always worth talking about.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss Brad Pitt's abs, their long hiatus, the controversy surrounding Tarantino, Dakota Fanning's scary comeback, where truth meets fiction, why Tim doesn't like Sandra Oh, why Jon doesn't like Jerry Seinfeld, whether Sharon Tate's portrayal is underwritten, the humble morality of Cliff Booth, the ultimate theological debate of 2019, whether God is a pacifist, and why we crave violent heroes.

Eleven years ago, Iron Man changed comic book movies forever. Not only was the movie great, it was the beginning of a journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with each film offering something new while also being connected to one large story. Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of that 22-film saga. From this point forward, the MCU will never be the same.In many ways, Endgame is the pinnacle of Marvel's achievements. Their signature blend of comedy and adventure are still in place, but the movie also dives into weightier themes. All of the central heroes we've invested in over the years are together and better than ever. And directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo employ an ingenious plot device that makes the movie both a celebration of the old and an embrace of the new. There's no question that Endgame is a great comic book movie, but is it also a great movie? What began as a normal Cinema Faith podcast became a sprawling discussion on the nature of art itself.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss how to compare art across genres, the Lubezki/Cuarón film no one's heard of, virtual reality movies, how Marvel ruined Jeremy Renner's career, time travel movies, whether The Matrix stands the test of time, how the Marvel heroes differ from Christ, Jon's Game of Thrones rant, why Thanos is right part II, the fine line between cool and ridiculous, the "popular film" Oscar category, Tim's dirty theater experience, the truth about grief and loss, and how to maintain hope in the darkness.

April is too early to be talking about the Oscars, but sometimes a gem comes along that's worthy of the discussion. Director Sebastián Lelio isn't well-known to American audiences. His only English-language feature prior to this year was 2017's Disobedience. But Gloria Bell could be the film that changes all of that for good.Bell is a remake of Lelio's own Spanish-language movie Gloria. Julianne Moore plays the titular character, a divorced 50-something looking for love and meaning wherever she can find it. She spends her days at a dull office job and her nights at a dance club. The latter is where she meets Arnold (John Turturro), a fellow divorcé. But Lelio is after something deeper than a plot-twisting romance. Bell is a character study first and foremost, inhabited by the best performance of Moore's career. Moore has already earned her place in the Best Actress discussion, and it's only April. And yet, this isn't just a performance in search of a movie. Lelio's talent behind the lens and poignant symbolism make Gloria Bell the best movie of 2019 to date.Join Jon and Tim as they discuss Lelio's voyeuristic style, their favorite Julianne Moore movies, the monthly weather report, a super-fan shout out, Jon Turturro's best role, why Tim is a prophet, Christendom's marriage obsession, the latest Netflix original, Jon's Marvel sales pitch, reclaiming the term "life-affirming," the dual natures of Jesus, and why it's better to be alone than inauthentic.