Movies Are Prayers: How Films Voice Our Deepest Longings
By Josh Larsen and Matt Zoller Seitz
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
"Movies are our way of telling God what we think about this world and our place in it. . . . Movies can be many things: escapist experiences, historical artifacts, business ventures, and artistic expressions, to name a few. I'd like to suggest that they can also be prayers." Movies do more than tell a good story. They are expressions of raw emotion, naked vulnerability, and unbridled rage. They often function in the same way as prayers, communicating our deepest longings and joys to a God who hears each and every one. In this captivating book, Filmspotting co-host Josh Larsen brings a critic's unique perspective to how movies function as expressions to God of lament, praise, joy, confession, and more. His clear expertise and passion for the art of film, along with his thoughtful reflections on the nature of prayer, will bring you a better understanding of both. God's omnipresence means that you can find him whether you're sitting on your sofa at home or in the seats at the theater. You can talk to him wherever movies are shown. And when words fail, the perfect film might be just what you need to jump-start your conversations with the Almighty.
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen is the co-host of the radio show and podcast Filmspotting, as well as editor and film critic at Think Christian, a faith and culture website. He’s been writing and speaking about movies professionally for more than two decades. Josh’s career began in the mainstream newspaper business, where he started out as a beat reporter for a weekly community newspaper and went on to become the film critic for the Chicago-based Sun-Times Media for more than ten years. In 2011, he joined the Christian media landscape as editor of Think Christian, and in 2012 he joined the long-running weekly podcast Filmspotting, aired on WBEZ in Chicago. A veteran of the Sundance, Toronto, and Chicago International Film Festivals, Josh has given talks on film and faith at various Christian colleges. He also led the “Ebert Interruptus,” a tradition established by Roger Ebert that analyzes a single film scene by scene over several days, at the University of Colorado’s Conference on World Affairs. Josh lives in the Chicago area with his wife and two daughters.
Related to Movies Are Prayers
Related ebooks
Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cinematic Faith: A Christian Perspective on Movies and Meaning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThrough a Screen Darkly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Minding Movies: Observations on the Art, Craft, and Business of Filmmaking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Film as Cultural Artifact: Religious Criticism of World Cinema Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Film Truth: The Story of Documentary Film as a Spiritual Journey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFilm Criticism in the Digital Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGod in the Movies: A Guide for Exploring Four Decades of Film Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShining Glory: Theological Reflections on Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Reading the Silver Screen: A Film Lover's Guide to Decoding the Art Form That Moves Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Scorsese by Ebert Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Reframing Theology and Film (Cultural Exegesis): New Focus for an Emerging Discipline Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dreams, Doubt, and Dread: The Spiritual in Film Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReel Spirituality (Engaging Culture): Theology and Film in Dialogue Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Audience-ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes: A Guided Tour Across a Decade of American Independent Cinema Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInto the Dark (Cultural Exegesis): Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Film Appreciation Book: The Film Course You Always Wanted to Take Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5John Cassavetes: Interviews Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Closely Watched Films: An Introduction to the Art of Narrative Film Technique Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Image and Identity: Reflections on Canadian Film and Culture Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art of Lean Filmmaking: An unconventional guide to creating independent feature films Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming a Film Producer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDirecting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Is Cinema? Volume I: Volume I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thinking in the Dark: Cinema, Theory, Practice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Is Cinema? Volume II: Volume II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Performing Arts For You
The Quite Nice and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book: The Script Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Sherlock Holmes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hamlet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Romeo and Juliet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fifth Mountain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Trial Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hollywood's Dark History: Silver Screen Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Robin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Comedy Bible: From Stand-up to Sitcom--The Comedy Writer's Ultimate "How To" Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diamond Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Strange Loop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coreyography: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Best Women's Monologues from New Plays, 2020 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How I Learned to Drive (Stand-Alone TCG Edition) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Life in Parts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whale / A Bright New Boise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mash: A Novel About Three Army Doctors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Dolls House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Midsummer Night's Dream, with line numbers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unsheltered: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count Of Monte Cristo (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Movies Are Prayers
6 ratings0 reviews