The Thin Place
54 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 9 years ago -Hosts Kenneth R. Morefield and Todd C. Truffin discuss themes of religion, faith, and spirituality in film.
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Episodes
The Thin Place #54: Entourage -- Making New Fans and Disappointing Old Ones
June 03, 2015 21:38 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBAlex McKee subs in for Todd to discuss whether or not one has to know the Entourage television show to like the movie. He and Ken also discuss the ethics of nudity and violence in film and whether Entourage satirizes or glorifies the Hollywood lifestyle.
The Thin Place #53: Tokyo Story and the Ideal of Family
June 01, 2015 18:30 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBTodd and Ken discuss Yasujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story. Is the film compassionate towards its characters? Does it blame one generation more than the other for the deterioration of family? Does the film lament the breakdown of the extended family or merely document it? Ken questions whether there is an ideal organization of extended families and whether our expectations of them come from The Bible or our respective cultures. Also: what does any of this have to do with King Lear or Downton Abbey? Tune...
The Thin Place #52: The Jones Family Will Make a Way at SXSW
May 31, 2015 23:22 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBOn the road at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, Ken and Todd report back on the documentary The Jones Family Will Make a Way. The film chronicles the unlikely alliance between an African-American family of gospel singers and the white, secular rock critic who loves their music. Todd likes the Jones Family Singers but questions the film’s narrative frame (which seems to treat the mainstreaming of gospel music as a new phenomenon). Ken likes the way the film challenges our preconceived notions...
The Thin Place #51: Calvary--Good or Great
May 31, 2015 22:40 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBTodd and Ken are back for the last podcast of the year, and they are looking at John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary. The film was recently honored by the 2014 Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury as one of the ten best of the year, so why are the hosts a bit cooler towards it? The discussion examines issues such as corporate guilt and why no human character can ultimately be a satisfying “Christ†figure. Is the film an allegory? If so, of what? And does the film change its mind about whether or n...
The Thin Place #50: The Equalizer, King David, and Righteous Anger
May 31, 2015 22:31 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBAntoine Fuqua directs Denzel Washington in The Equalizer. Ken and co-host Todd Truffin examine the film and question whether violence, even in the service of justice, can ever be practiced without a psychic and spiritual toll. Is it okay to hate the wicked? To celebrate their downfall? If so, when? And what are the spiritual dangers of doing so?
The Thin Place #49: Supermensch
May 31, 2015 22:23 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBDo you believe in karma? Why did Shep Gordon beg John Lennon to have his picture taken with Anne Murray? Who created the celebrity chef? What really happened the night Alice Cooper didn’t bite the head off of a chicken? And can *anyone* just drop in at Shep’s home in Maui? Ken and Todd discuss Mike Myers’s endearing (perhaps too endearing) portrait of the king of all the talent managers in a podcast about Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon. ***Content Advisory*** This podcast cont...
The Thin Place #48: Lucy -- God or Godlike?
May 31, 2015 22:15 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBLuc Besson’s Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson as a woman who is exposed to a new synthetic drug that allows her to access more and more of her brain. Does the drug give her godlike powers, or is the film suggesting that she actually becomes God? And what does Lucy’s transformation say about the way we conceive God? Lucy is a summer popcorn movie, to be sure. But when a movie has this much God symbolism, you can bet The Thin Place is going to ponder what it all is supposed to mean.
The Thin Place #47: Fever Pitch -- Obsession or Idolatry
May 31, 2015 22:07 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBAs the World Cup draws to a close, Ken and Todd discuss one of the best films ever made about our obsession with sports. What is the difference between enthusiasm and obsession? At what point does a central preoccupation become idolatrous? Is the film postmodern? And what does any of this have to do with the book of Ecclesiastes?
The Thin Place #46: Violence in The Edge of Tomorrow
May 31, 2015 22:00 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MBBack after a hiatus, Ken and Todd discuss Doug Liman’s sci-fi film, The Edge of Tomorrow. Why is the way violence is represented in the film particularly disturbing? Are we intended to laugh at it? And why does Todd say the movie reminded him of watching someone play a video game?
The Thin Place #45: Lessons Learned from Philomena
May 31, 2015 21:54 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBJust in time for the Academy Awards, Ken and Todd look at one of the nominees: Stephen Frears’s Philomena. How does the film depict its protagonist’s Roman Catholicism, and what can those outside that denomination learn from her example?
The Thin Place #44: Two Views of Wall Street
May 31, 2015 21:25 - 41 minutes - 37.5 MBKen and Todd talk about depictions of Wall Street in Oliver Stone’s film of the same name and, more recently, in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. What does Stone’s dedication tell us about which character is the moral center? Does Bud Fox look into the abyss or dive in head first? How does Jordan Belfort compare to Gordon Gekko, and how does that comparison reveal ways America has changed in the last three decades?
The Thin Place #43: Looking for God in 12 Years a Slave
May 31, 2015 21:08 - 45 minutes - 42.1 MBTodd and Ken examine 12 Years a Slave. Is God absent from the world of slavery? Are there contemporary lessons or themes to be drawn from this historical drama? Why is the singing of “Roll Jordan†the most important scene?
The Thin Place #42: To Be or Not to Be and Comic Dis-ease
May 31, 2015 20:57 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MBTodd and Ken take a look at Ernst Lubitsch’s To Be or Not to Be. Should some topics be off limits for comedy? What line did even Lubitsch’s team fear went too far? Who is the film’s real villain? (Hint: it’s not the Nazis.) What films today make us similarly uneasy and what can we learn from films that disquiet us?
The Thin Place #41: The Devil's Backbone
May 31, 2015 20:44 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBKen and Todd discuss Guillermo del Toro’s horror film that has recently received the Criterion treatment. What is the difference between horror and Gothic? When is violence tragic rather than just shocking? How does belief in “the curse†unite the materialist and the spiritually minded?
The Thin Place #40: Gravity -- Good or Great?
May 31, 2015 20:31 - 49 minutes - 45.7 MBKen and Todd are back, and they are discussing one of this fall’s most anticipated films: Gravity. Is it a thriller or a drama? What do we mean when we call something a “good†film? Is it “well made†or “effective� And can the hosts avoid the implication that, for a Christian, content is more important than technique when judging a film?
The Thin Place #39: Umberto D. and the Limits of Empathy
May 31, 2015 20:19 - 46 minutes - 42.4 MBTodd and Ken discuss Vittorio De Sica’s poignant saga of an aged pensioner trying to avoid eviction. What are the differences between empathy and pity and which does the film invoke? Is Umberto D. unlikable?
The Thin Place #38: Vengeance and Redemption in The Searchers
May 31, 2015 20:04 - 37 minutes - 34.6 MBPeter Waldron drops in on The Thin Place to sub for the vacationing Todd and to render Ken momentarily speechless with his take on one of the more iconic climactic moments in Hollywood history. Does Ethan Edwards have a redemptive moment? Does he need one?
The Thin Place #37: Death and Sacrifice in Gojira
May 31, 2015 19:51 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBKen and Todd look at the original pacific rim monster and compare the theme of sacrifice in Gojira to that presented in modern disaster films.
The Thin Place #36: Genre Conventions in White House Down
May 31, 2015 19:38 - 45 minutes - 41.6 MBKen and Todd examine the conventions of action films and how White House Down uses them. Do action films promote American exceptionalism? How does the use of comic relief undercut the film’s moral seriousness? What makes a true hero?
The Thin Place #35: Love and Masks in The Magician
May 31, 2015 19:28 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBTodd and Ken look at Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician. Is the film about the conflict between rationalism and faith or the conflict between performers and critics? What did Bergman say about the film in interviews? What makes Ken say that Bergman is the director he’s tried the hardest to like without success? Did The Magician change his mind?
The Thin Place #34: At Any Price
May 31, 2015 19:13 - 33 minutes - 31 MBKen and Todd discuss Ramin Bahrani’s At Any Price. Which family member did Todd want to see more of? What connections does Ken see between this film and Chop Shop? Is the film’s climactic sermon meant ironically? WARNING: Plot spoilers.
The Thin Place #33: Timeless Truth in Stromboli
May 31, 2015 18:02 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBTodd and Ken discuss the films of Roberto Rossellini, focusing on Stromboli. How sympathetic is Karin? What does the film’s reference to the book of Isaiah mean? Is the ending positive, negative or ambiguous? WARNING: Plot spoilers.
The Thin Place #32: The Feel Good Mediocrity of 42
May 31, 2015 16:12 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBKen and Todd discuss Brian Helgeland’s hagiography of Jackie Robinson.
The Thin Place #31: Predestination in Wreck-It Ralph
May 31, 2015 16:00 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBTodd and Ken look at Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph, and ponder whether or not being written into a computer program is an apt metaphor for predestination. Also, what makes Ken compare Wreck-It Ralph to Paradise Lost?
The Thin Place #30: On Finally Watching The Last Temptation of Christ
May 31, 2015 15:52 - 50 minutes - 46.6 MBTodd and Ken discuss Martin Scorsese’s (in)famous imagination of the life of Jesus. Is it really blasphemous? Is it any good? Do you have to watch a movie to be able to boycott it? And how do you pronounce “Nikos Kazantzakis�
The Thin Place #29: Zero Dark Thirty and Historical Fiction
May 31, 2015 15:41 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBTodd and Ken examine the morality of making stories about other people’s lives. What is the difference between “truth†and “accuracy,†and is accomplishing one ever an excuse for neglecting the other? Should historical fiction be judged differently from imaginative fiction? Why or why not?
The Thin Place #28: The Grapes of Wrath
May 31, 2015 15:24 - 38 minutes - 34.8 MBKen and Todd look at John Ford’s adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel. What is the difference between poverty and destitution? Who is the audience surrogate? How is mythologizing the past different from arguing about the present?
The Thin Place #27: The Hobbit: A Not So Unexpected Travesty
May 31, 2015 15:16 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBKen and Todd claim that Peter Jackson doesn’t really understand the material that he is adapting. Is there any way they can back up such a claim?
The Thin Place #26: Will God Give Us a Pass for Watching The Sessions?
May 31, 2015 15:02 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBKen and Todd tackle Ben Lewin’s The Sessions. Can a priest ever give you permission to sin? Does calling something therapy change what it is? Is God a bully who hates us and wants us to be miserable? Is it possible to be compassionate while still having standards?
The Thin Place #25:The Exorcist and Christian Approaches to Horror
May 31, 2015 14:35 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBKen and Todd revisit William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece, The Exorcist, and use it as a springboard to talk about whether or not Christians should watch horror movies. Does the film imply that evil is stronger than holiness? Who is the main character? What does the film say about the spiritual condition of the late 20th century?
The Thin Place #24: Looper and the Morality of Time Travel
May 31, 2015 13:53 - 40 minutes - 37 MBKen and Todd look at Rian Johnson’s sci-fi, time-travel hit, Looper. Is changing the future the same as “playing God� Is there anything theological about the film’s depiction of addictions? What verse in the Book of Genesis makes Ken doubtful that time-travel is ever really possible? Just what exactly is soul annihilation, and why does the way we interpret the film have consequences for the way we conceptualize hell?
The Thin Place #23: Grace and Merit in Great Expectations
May 31, 2015 13:39 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBGuest host Andrew Johnson joins Ken at the Toronto International Film Festival to discuss Mike Newell’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel. What is the difference between grace and random acts of kindness? Which character reminds Ken of the rock opera Chess? Warning: some profanity in this episode.
The Thin Place #22: An Encounter with Simone Weil
May 31, 2015 13:20 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBDirector Julia Haslett makes a documentary that is part biopic, part self-reflection. How should we respond to human suffering? Do Simone Weil’s writings give us a road map for answering that question?
The Thin Place #21: Is Vertigo the Best Film of All Time?
May 31, 2015 12:41 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBCritics polled by Sight & Sound magazine in 2012 ranked Vertigo as the greatest film of all time. What does that ranking say about the spirit of the age? Is the greatness of a film measurable? If not, why do we keep trying? What causes our obsession with lists? Ken and Todd discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and the poll that thrust it back into the limelight. Warning: Spoilers for Vertigo and Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans.
The Thin Place #20: Nature, Nurture, Truth, and Lies in The Dark Knight Rises
May 31, 2015 01:48 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBHow Batman is not a “Christ figure†but Bane is reminiscent of…Willy Wonka!?! It’s the summer’s most anticipated film as only The Thin Place can cover it. Ken and Todd discuss whether Christopher Nolan’s trilogy is telling us “you can’t handle the truth†or simply isn’t clear in its own mind about what it wants to say. Warning: Spoilers!
The Thin Place #19: When We Watch Chariots of Fire, Do We Feel His Pleasure?
May 31, 2015 01:35 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBFew films are more beloved in Christian circles than Chariots of Fire. Todd and Ken ask why this is the case, and whether the film that beat out Raiders of the Lost Ark for an Academy Award has stood the test of time.
The Thin Place #18: What We Choose to Believe about Prometheus
May 31, 2015 01:20 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBRidley Scott’s return to science fiction is not only one of the most anticipated films of the year–a prequel to Alien–but it also attempts to address deep philosophical and religious questions. Can a film be an action blockbuster and a successful cosmological treatise?
The Thin Place #17: The Elliptical Structure of Bresson's Lancelot du Lac
May 31, 2015 01:08 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBAs a touring retrospective and the reissue of a famous anthology revive interest in the enigmatic and critically revered Robert Bresson, Ken and Todd examine the French director’s Lancelot du Lac.
The Thin Place #16: Theology and Social Justice in Love Free or Die
May 31, 2015 00:57 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBKen and Todd discuss the theology of gays in the Christian church, the social justice of gays in America, and the differences (if any) between the two as they review a documentary about the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church.
The Thin Place #15: Blue Like Jazz -- Satire or Bildungsroman
May 30, 2015 21:03 - 37 minutes - 34.2 MBKen and Todd discuss Blue Like Jazz, Steve Taylor’s adaptation of Donald Miller’s best seller. Is the film a satire of Christianity? A Christian satire of the godless university? Is it funny? Will Christians like it? Will anyone else?
The Thin Place #14: A Separation -- Meditations on Legalism
May 30, 2015 20:50 - 33 minutes - 31.6 MBKen and Todd discuss A Separation, Asghar Farhadi’s Academy Award winning film about a couple contemplating divorce in contemporary Iran. Is it ultimately more about the moral choices individuals make or the social structures that influence them? Can an Iranian film be a cautionary tale about American politics?
The Thin Place #13: Faith and Disillusionment in Primary Colors
May 30, 2015 20:41 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBKen and Todd discuss Primary Colors, Mike Nichols’s adaptation of the fictionalized depiction of an adviser grappling with whether or not he can support a flawed governor who is running for president. Mike Nichols’s film gets the bulk of discussion, but there are also comments about HBO’s Game Change.
The Thin Place #12: Undefeated and the Moral Economy of the Universe
May 30, 2015 20:29 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBTodd and Ken discuss Undefeated, the Academy Award winner for Best Documentary of 2011. Take care to build character, football coach Bill Courtney preaches, and winning will take care of itself.
The Thin Place #11: Things I Don't Understand
May 30, 2015 20:19 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBTodd and Ken discuss David Spaltro’s drama about a woman tormented by questions about what happens after we die.
The Thin Place #10: Akira Kurosawa's High and Low
May 30, 2015 20:11 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBIn this episode, Todd and Ken discuss High and Low. Is Mr. Gondo a “Christ†figure? What is the value of a human being? Is the kidnapper really a madman?
The Thin Place #9: Soul Surfer and the Pesky "Christian" Label
May 30, 2015 18:45 - 35 minutes - 33 MBIn this episode, Ken and Todd discuss Soul Surfer. Is “Christian Movie†a label or a genre? Does it make any difference? Did Soul Surfer do better than most Christian Movies at not making Todd want to scream and run the other way?
The Thin Place #8: Purpose and Brokenness in Hugo
May 30, 2015 18:35 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBIn this episode, Todd and Ken look at Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. Is being a part of a larger whole horrific or comforting? Are some life purposes more exalted than others? Can community make us whole?
The Thin Place #7: Le Havre and Fairy Tale Morality
May 26, 2015 01:51 - 46 minutes - 42.8 MBIn this episode, Ken and Todd discuss the new film (and Cannes Palme d’Or nominee) from acclaimed Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki, Le Havre. Is this tale of a community rallying around a young African refugee a realistic look at the immigration issue, or just plain fairy tale? Tune in to find out.
The Thin Place #6: Truth and Belief in The Crucible
May 26, 2015 01:28 - 32 minutes - 29.8 MBIn this episode, Ken and Todd discuss the 1996 film adaptation of Arthur Miller’s play. Miller claimed his film was more about politics than religion, but is that true? Just how cynical is it about matters of belief? Tune in to find out.
The Thin Place #5: Illusion and Objectification in ALPS
May 26, 2015 00:57 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBIn this special episode that arrives in conjunction with AFI Fest, Ken and Todd discuss the new film from Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, ALPS. The film follows an organization of individuals that are hired to impersonate dead loved ones in order to help with the grieving process. But will that really be effective? Can illusion ever equal reality? Tune in as Ken and Todd examine the complex themes running through this unique film.