Formational Films Round-Up

Here are some resources mentioned in the Formational Films: Movies That Matter webcast conversation between Jeffrey Overstreet, Catherine Barsotti, Chris Hall, and Carolyn Arends.

Webinar Recording without ads

Countdown Song

• Gabriel’s Oboe by Ennio Morricone from The Mission Soundtrack

Resources Recommended by Jeffrey Overstreet

• Books by Jeffrey Overstreet

  • Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies

  • Auralia’s Colors: A Novel (The Auralia Thread Book 1)

  • Cyndere’s Midnight: A Novel (The Auralia Thread Book 2)

  • Raven’s Ladder: A Novel (The Auralia Thread Book 3)

  • The Ale Boy’s Feast: A Novel (The Auralia Thread Book 4)

• Recommended Films

  • Babette’s Feast (Axel, 1987)

  • Timbuktu (Sissako, 2014)

  • Wings of Desire (Wenders, 1987)

  • The Son (Le Fils) (Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne,2002)

  • The Muppet Movie (Frawley,1979)

  • The Secret of Kells (Moore, 2010)

• Resources and additional recommended films:

  • Three Colors: Blue (Kieślowski, 1994)

  • The New World (Malick, 2005)

  • The Tree of Life (Malick, 2011)

  • My Neighbor Totoro (Miyazaki, 1988)

  • Taxi Driver (Scorsese, 1976)

  • “Have We Lost Our Minds” Article in Christianity Today

  • List of scriptures mentioned in Webinar

  • Flannery O’ Connor Quote:

    • The fact is that if the writer’s attention is on producing a work of art, a work that is good in itself, he is going to take great pains to control every excess, everything that does not contribute to this central meaning and design. He cannot indulge in sentimentality, in propagandizing, or in pornography and create a work of art, for all these things are excesses. They call attention to themselves and distract from the work as a whole.

• Jeffrey’s Website

• Jeffrey on Social Media: Twitter, and Facebook

Resources recommended by Catherine Barsotti

• Books by Catherine Barsotti

  • Finding God in the Movies: 33 Films of Reel Faith

  • God in the Movies: A Guide For Exploring Four Decades Of Film

• Recommended Films

  • Lars and the Real Girl (Gillespie, 2007)

  • Of Gods and Men (Beavois, 2010)

  • Calvary (McDonagh, 2014)

  • A Hidden Life (Malick, 2019)

  • Household Saints (1993, Savoca)

• Resources and additional recommended films:

  • Tender Mercies (Beresford,1983)

  • The Apostle (Duvall,1987)

  • Get Low (Schneider, 2010)

  • WALL·E (Stanton, 2008)

  • Up (Doctor, 2009)

  • Soul (Doctor, 2020)

  • Roma (Cuarón, 2018)

  • Babel (Iñárritu, 2006)

  • Pan’s Labyrinth (del Toro, 2006)

  • Brehm Film at Fuller Seminary

  • Fuller Studio Podcast

  • Johnston: Reframing Theology and Film: New Focus for an Emerging Discipline

  • Johnston: Reel Spirituality (Engaging Culture): Theology and Film in Dialogue

  • Johnston: Useless Beauty: Ecclesiastes through the Lens of Contemporary Film

  • Johnston: God’s Wider Presence: Reconsidering General Revelation

  • Johnston: Deep Focus: Film and Theology in Dialogue (Engaging Culture)

• Catherine on Social Media: Twitter, and Facebook

Resources recommended by Chris Hall

• Books by Chris Hall

  • Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers

  • Learning Theology with the Church Fathers

  • Worshiping with the Church Fathers

  • Living Wisely with the Church Fathers 

• Recommended Films

  • Fargo (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen,1996)

  • Gran Torino (Eastwood, 2008) 

  • Sophie Scholl – The Final Days

    • Jeffrey’s CT Review

  • Schindler’s List (Spielberg, 1993)

  • A Simple Plan (Raimi, 1998)

  • Flannery O’ Connor Quote:
    

    • The basis of art is truth, both in matter and in mode.

    
    

Resources recommended by Carolyn Arends

• Article: See No Evil?: Three Questions to Ask of the Art We Consume and Create

• Music by Carolyn Arends

• Books by Carolyn Arends

  • The Universe in 57 Words: Seven Days Inside the Lord’s Prayer

  • The Reservoir

  • Theology in Aisle Seven: The Uncommon Grace of Everyday Spirituality

  • Wrestling with Angels: Adventures in Faith and Doubt

• Carolyn’s Website

• Carolyn on Social Media: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Other Resources Mentioned in the Webinar and Chat:

The resources mentioned below have not been reviewed or endorsed by Renovaré. 

• Thomas McKenzie YouTube channel

• Websites for finding films to watch: 

  • Just Watch

  • Kanopy

• Movies:

  • God’s Not Dead (Cronk, 2014)

  • The Iron Giant (Bird, 1999) 

  • Chariots of Fire (Hudson,1981)

  • The Hiding Place (Collier, 1975)

  • The Chosen (TV Series, 2019) 

  • Unorthodox (Wexler and Oertelt, 2013)

  • The Fisher King (Gilliam,1991)

  • The Emperor’s Club (Hoffman,2002)

• Books:

  • Qureshi: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity

  • Gire: Reflections on the Movies

• Quotes and Articles

  • On seeing the world through a filmmaker’s eyes:“ My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others. Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented. Even the eyes of all humanity are not enough. I regret that the brutes can not write books. Very gladly would I learn what face things present to a mouse or a bee; more gladly still would I perceive the olfactory world charged with all the information and emotion it carries for a dog. Literary experience heals the wound, without undermining the privilege, of individuality… in reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself. Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with a myriad of eyes, but it is still I who see. Here, as in worship, in love, in moral action, and in knowing, I transcend myself; and am never more myself than when I do.” ― C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism

• Food & Wine Magazine: 7 Kitchen and Life Lessons that the Swedish Chef Taught Us

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