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It's bee a while since I gave some recommendations for movies/TV I have enjoyed, but I hope you appreciate this installment. Let me know your own thoughts on these great stories by commenting below!
TV:
· Better Call Saul (Season 1-6)
o Story: This story is a prequel to the infamous Breaking Bad series that follows reformed con artist turned lawyer Jimmy McGill, and his downward spiral to becoming the self-centered criminal defense attorney, Saul Goodman.
o Year: 2022
o Rating: R (cursing, drinking, violence, some sexual content)
o Gospel Moments: This show gives a picture of what it looks like when the brokenness of our world collides with the brokenness inside of ourselves. Saul (or Jimmy) is a deeply flawed man, but he tries to change his ways various times throughout the show. We witness him face turning point after turning point–moments when he could either go deeper into his broken past or become something different, something that no one expected–sadly Jimmy time and time again takes the paths that lead him deeper into inner and outer darkness, bringing the ones he loves along with him. Jimmy chooses self-reliance and greed over grace, and the flash forwards we see throughout the show reveal where such a choice leads: loneliness and despair.
o Where to Watch: Netflix (Season 6 is not yet available on Netflix)
Movies:
· Room
o Story: This movie is based on he novel of the same name by Emma Donoghue. It follows a woman named Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack, who are held captive in a shed by a man named Nick. Seven years prior, Nick abducted Joy and had been periodically raping her, resulting in her pregnancy and the birth of Jack. With Jack's help, the two are able to escape and Nick is imprisoned. The movie continues to follow Joy and Jack as they acclimate to the world outside of Room.
o Year: 2015
o Rating: R (language, disturbing situations)
o Gospel Moments: This show defiantly has some disturbing themes, but the focus of the film is the relationship between Joy and Jack, and the ways they support one another through their traumatic experiences. We come to see the power of love to break us free from our prisons–from the lies that bind us–and bring us to a place where they don't loom so large anymore. Their love for one another reflects the amazing love of God who, through Christ and by the Spirit, has broken down every barrier that separated us from Him. Our walk with Christ is a journey deeper and deeper into His love, leaving behind the lies that seek to trap us in a small world that doesn't reflect the reality of our Big and Good God.
o Where to Watch: Amazon Prime (no longer free)
· Spider-Man: No Way Home
o Story: When Spider-Man's identity is revealed to be the young Peter Parker–putting Parker and his friends in great danger–he turns to Doctor Strange to restore his secret. Things only turn out for the worse when Strange's spell goes awry and Spider-Man villains from all over the Multiverse began to get sucked into Peter's reality. Parker and his friends are left to face these villains, a challenge that proves to alter his future forever.
o Year: 2021
o Rating: PG-13 (action/violence, some language)
o Gospel Moments: This Spider-Man film is filled with more redemptive moments than any other Spider-Man film before it. We see a Spider-Man who fights not only for the innocent but also the guilty, a hero who risks his own safety to save the lost and broken–the very villains that plagued the histories of his Spider-Man counterparts. At the end of it all, Peter is left having to give up everything he cares about most to save the ones he loves. It is easy to see an example of the love of Christ in this film, the Hero who came to save the least and the lowest, the broken and guilty. He gave up everything to save us not because we deserved it but because of His love for the Father and His love for us.
o Where to Watch: Amazon Prime (not free)
If you like these kinds of stories you should also check out my book The Bright Abyss. You can find a copy at the link here. You can also get a free download of my short story The First Encounter, a Bright Abyss story, by signing up for my email list below!