Faithspotting "Eric LaRue"
Faithspotting
Kenny and Mike discuss discuss and spot faith elements in the film Eric LaRue. Included in this epispose is an interview with Director Michael Shannon and the film's star Judy Greer. The film, based on the play by Brett Neveu who also was the screenwriter, presents the parents of a school shooter and the challenges that they face in their lives, their relationships with each other, and with their community. The film also portrays how the faith communities of each parent respond to the needs of the parents as well as the faith and extended communities. Faith Elements: The film...
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Faithspotting "Audrey's Children"
Faithspotting
Kenny and Mike review, spot faith elements, and interview Natalie Dormer who stars as pioneering pediatric oncologist Audrey Evans in the biopic film Audrey's Children. Audrey Evans became Director of the Pediatric Oncology department at the renowned Children's Hospital of Philidelphia (CHOP) in 1969, and was a trailblazer as both the first department chief and one who introduced new methods for tracking and treating pediatric cancer. As a hospital with a strong national reputation, parents brought their children from all over the region and country. Out of concern for the parents who...
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Faithspotting "Flow"
Faithspotting
Mike and Kenny review the animated adventure film Flow, spot and discuss the faith themes reflected in the Latvian film that won the 2025 Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film. Directed by Gints Zilbalodis, and taking over 5 years to make, Flow was made by using the free and open source software Blender. Flow follows a cat, a capybara, a ring-tailed lemur, a secretary bird and a labrador retriever who find refuge together in a small boat following a massive flood that covers most of the land around them. Praised for its wonderful and unique visuals and...
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Faithspotting 2025 Oscars
Faithspotting
Freguent Faithspotting contributor and friend Ryan Parker join Mike and Kenny to discuss the 2025 Academy Awards. Ryan works in public relations in the film industry and is the founder and director of the Mississippi Film Society. We thought this year had a solid slate of nominees, especially in the Best Actor and Best Director categories. Faithspotting covered 8 films with a total of 50 nominations including 6 of the 10 for Best Picture, 12 Acting, and 4 Directing nominations. Checkout our reviews and the faith we spotted in Sing Sing, The Substance, Conclave, Wicked, The...
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Faithspotting Episode "A Complete Unknown"
Faithspotting
Kenny and Mike are joined by friend and regular guest Rev. Eric Folkerth to discuss the biopic film of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unkown. Directed by James Mangold, the film stars Timothee Chalamet as Dylan, Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, and Monica Babaro as Joan Baez. Based on the book Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wood, A Complete Unknown opens as Bob Dylan arrives in New York City and begins his rise in the world of folk music, and the reaction after he became a folk music star when he decides to expand into folk rock music by "going electric." This new direction was...
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Faithspotting "The Brutalist"
Faithspotting
Kenny and Mike review and discuss faith reflected in the Academy Award nominated film starring Adrien Brody. Written, produced and directed by Brady Corbet, the film shows the story of a Hungarian-Jewish holocaust survior, Laszlo Toth (Brody) who imigrates to the United States following World War 2. A renowned architect in Europe, Toth comes to Philadelphia with only a suitcase and an invitation to stay with a cousin who imigrated earlier. After a fallout with his cousin, Toth, living in a shelter, is sought out by industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) for whom he and his...
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Faithspotting "Wicked Pt. 1"
Faithspotting
Hosts Mike and Kenny discuss the blockbusting film adaptation of Act 1 of the musical Wicked which stars Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana Grande. Directed by Jon M. Chu. Wicked Pt. 1offers the back story of The Wizard of Oz's Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West as well as the Wizard. Cynthia Erivo stars as Elphaba, a child conceived via an affair with green skin and rejected by her father. Ariana Grande stars as Galinda, born into wealth and influence and seemingly perfect. Galinda and Elphaba become roommates and rivals at Shiz University where both quickly become the center...
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Faithspotting "Emilia Perez"
Faithspotting
Co-hosts Kenny and MIke review and faithspot the Palme d' Or winning musical drama starring Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon, Selena Gomez and directed by Jacques Audiard. Emilie Perez tells the story of two women seeking the freedom to live their lives as they desire without societal biases, expectations, and limitations. Saldana, Gascon, and Gomes jointly won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival and all were nominated for Golden Globe Supporting and Best Actress award. The film was nominated for Best Musical or Comedy film. The actresses are also strong...
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Faithspotting "Conclave"
Faithspotting
Mike and Kenny discuss the psychological, political, and spiritual thrilling film starring Ralph Fiennes and directed by Edward Berger. The film is a drama showing all the personal and ecclesiatical drama as the College of Cardinals Conclave to select a new pope. Reflecting society, the College is divided into conservative and liberal factions who are seeking to keep or retake control of the Papacy. The Dean of the College, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) is charged with the administration of the Conclave. In addition to managing the nuts and bolts of the gathering, Dean Thomas...
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Faithspotting "The Substance"
Faithspotting
Kenny and Mike discuss The Substance and spot faith issues reflected in the body horror genre film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat who won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, The Substance challenges agism and society's unrealistic, double standards of beauty and capability for women as presented through Academy Award winning actress Elizabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) who is fired from her successful workout program on her 50th birthday. Following her firing , Sparkle takes The Substance, a black market...
info_outlineKenny and Mike are joined by friend and regular guest Rev. Eric Folkerth to discuss the biopic film of Bob Dylan, A Complete Unkown. Directed by James Mangold, the film stars Timothee Chalamet as Dylan, Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, and Monica Babaro as Joan Baez.
Based on the book Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wood, A Complete Unknown opens as Bob Dylan arrives in New York City and begins his rise in the world of folk music, and the reaction after he became a folk music star when he decides to expand into folk rock music by "going electric." This new direction was introduced and decidedly rejected by the audience at the 1965 Newport Folk Music Festival, and is the climax of the film.
As the film moves toward the Newport clash, it documents Dylan's struggle againstbeing labeled, boxed in, and controlled by the music industry as well as his initial fans. The film also shows Dylan's relationships with Sylvie Russo and folk legends Joan Baez, as well as with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
Episode Guest Eric Folkerth is Sr. Pastor of Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas and is a singer/songwriter and blogger. Eric's website is ericfolkerth.com
Faith Reflected:
Expansive vs. restricted worship, experiences, and understanding of God.
Worship Wars happen when individuals and groups get comfortable and set in their ways of worship and deny the validity of other expressions and languages of worship that may speak better to others.
The benefit of a variety of ways of worship that lead to enriched understanding and experiences of God.
Declaring and accepting purity of worship is a means to control the experience, theological understanding, and faith development of others.
Luke 4 and the resistance to Jesus demonstrating God's love of and working for other people and nations.
The early Church in the Book of Acts also faced this struggle of expansive experiences of worship and understanding of God.
