Popcorn Theology

Do you like our owl? Miles and James open their VK briefcases and give this milestone science fiction film the old PT test, probing with deep questions about empathy, consent, creators, prejudice, and inevitable decrepitude. Will they have enough time for James to settle – once and for all – the long running speculation about Deckard? Time… enough. Watch video podcast here. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Join James and Kat for a special episode from stately Harlemanor as they look at the underrated and overlooked fun film that kicked off 2024! Matthew Vaughn’s bombastic, eclectic action-adventure is a romantic comedy for people who don’t like romantic comedies, and also explores foundation themes of myth, caricature vs. reality, identity, and sin. Watch video podcast here. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

CODA is a heartfelt “life transcendent” family drama-comedy with a fantastic soundtrack. Join hosts Maddy, Kat, and Eric as they tackle themes of the cost of discipline, what truly binds a family together and what it is like to live with a disability. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Were hosts Eric, James and Rory stuck in a podcasting room over Christmas and forced to spend the holidays together? Perhaps not, but forced relationships at a snowy year’s end is where this movie takes an unlikely trio, and our three hosts explore those themes of burnt out teachers, frustrated students, and world-weary mothers struggling to connect and make sense of this life under the sun. Does Christmas offer them any transcendence? You decide. Links to references in this episode: Article by Warfield on Predestination vs. Fate (referenced by James) Link to teaching series on Westminster Confession (referenced by James) Watch the video episode on Youtube. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you list

This week, Maddy and David investigate the Oscar-nominated film Killers of the Flower Moon. While this heavy film had a slow pace, it has plenty to say about the broken world we live in. Join Maddy and David as they investigate the themes in this movies, including foolishness (coyotes), deception (wolves), the love of money, and the perversion of justice. We think y'all are gonna love it. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

This week, the boys are back in the RV, cooking up a fresh batch of glass-grade film and theology content. Join David, James, and Jam as they dissect Season 1 of the AMC original series Breaking Bad. From slinging biblical worldviews to blowing up the mindless consumption that has been spread by Tucos of the world, the guys will cover it all. How can Christians engage with a series about dealing drugs, violence, and moral corruption? Join us in the lab and find out. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Snake Plisskin (Eric), The Brain (James), and the President (Rory) seek to escape the mindless hellscape of 1980’s New York. Join them as they rescue a proper view of “living under the sun”, masculinity, and government from the nihilism of the 80’s. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

As a resolution for 2024, James repents of a glaring omission (and potential Popcorn Theologian disqualification) by finally watching this quintessential film! Richard and Miles join James to berate him… AND to discuss the important themes beyond the obvious one in the film’s title! James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Join Miles and Jam as they take their walk down the Green Mile and uncover the secrets of its inmates. Secrets like, who killed those little girls? Do miracles still happen? What does John Coffey have to do with Jesus? We will cover it all on Episode 324. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Oh no… they say he’s got to go! Join Popcorn Theology’s newly assembled G-Force of Godzilla experts – James, Eric and Greg – as they hunt the oversized themes in this explosive new story featuring everyone’s favorite radiation-spewing monster in a film that is undeniably fire. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

This week, the Patron Saints jumped down, pulled us off the tracks, and convinced us to cover While You Were Sleeping just in time for Christmas! On this episode, Kat, Miles, and David explore how idle words and divine providence prompt Lucy to find the family she had been longing for, proving that life doesn’t always turn out the way you plan. Make sure you’re not… leaning… into mindless entertainment. These mashed potatoes are so creamy. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Shhhhh! Listen closely, it may be hard to hear the deep ideas explored in this film nonverbally while bullets and explosions rock the screen, but they are there! Special guest John Perritt from Reformed Youth Ministries teams up with James as they target themes of vengeance, idolatry, keeping covenant, general revelation and more in this unique film by action master John Woo. Find out more about Reformed Youth Ministries (RYM) - https://rym.org James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Listen in, trust us, and let us mentor you through the treacherous arena of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Based on the book of the same title, this prequel to the hit series explores many of the same ideas from the originals as it follows the ambitious rise of President Snow. In this episode, Becky, Maddy, and Miles discuss many tasty ideas including the way that this story plays with imagery of snake and doves, how the Hunger Games relates to Christian generosity, and how the Songbird (Lucy Gray) gives us hope for a life that transcends a dog-eat-dog world mentality. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social

Special returning host Richard Foltz interviews our special "guest" James Harleman about the new Director's Cut of James' book, Cinemagogue. Go back to the origins of Popcorn Theology and how you can do your own "home edition" and even encourage others into the how's and why's of being a mindful consumer. Read more about Cinemagogue: Director's Cut here. For a sneak peak click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Subject to the requirements of the service, Captain "Lucky" David, Lt. Eric, and Midshipman Maddy beat to quarters and set their guns against this 20 year old classic. They engage with the themes leadership, how the crew of the HMS Surprise is an analogy of the body of Christ, and explore the islands of pride and duty. Your mind is under threat of mindless invasion, and though you may be on the far side of the world, this podcast will point you back to the greatest story teller of all. James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

We did this episode for you. For ALL of us! Travel with James, Becky and Rory through time and television as we look at Loki in terms of Norse mythology, his MCU appearances, and of course the glorious purpose of the sensational season 2 and the ending everyone is talking about. All this and some special messages from Miss Minutes! James' book Cinemagogue is getting a new edition! Hear more in this episode and read more here. For a sneak peak at the Director's Cut, click here. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

Can our hosts survive Five Nights at Freddy’s? Join James, guest host Eric and special guest Melvin Benson from Cinematic Doctrine as they enter they explore the concept of kiddie-horror, video game movies, and themes of guilt, obsession, and corruption that comes in the guise of cuteness.  Check out Melvin Benson’s podcast here: Cinematic Doctrine.  Want more? Check out our other episodes on horror films. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

As a challenge, our hosts sunk their teeth into Cocaine Bear - an outlandish story about an enormous bear that goes on a killing spree after consuming pounds of cocaine. On this episode, hosts David, Eric, and Miles get their paws around the narrative and demonstrate that a mindful approach to movies can bear spiritual fruit, even from a movie about a drug-addled bear. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

A veritable horror extravaganza! James is joined by guest host Rory and his friend Thomas Thorogood of the stirandfry YouTube channel as they welcome Josh Larsen, author of FEAR NOT!: A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies. This motley crew delves into the depths of horror and takes a stab at how this genre connects to our faith.  Josh Larsen's film review website: LarsenOnFilm.com Josh's book FEAR NOT!: A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies Thomas' Youtube Channel: stirandfry — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.

James, Maddy, and Eric give Arsenic and Old Lace the Cinemagogue method. They cover murder as a "charity", the sanctifying influence of marriage, and how your earthly parentage is overcome by Christ's supernatural parentage. Join them as they host an episode that has been 2 years in the making. — We've got new merchandise! Check it out at the merch store. Help us recruit more film lovers and theology nerds by sharing this episode with your friends. Rate and review the podcast wherever you listen to help attract more listeners.  Follow and connect with us on social media. Support us on Patreon.