How do you define “blockbuster?”  I suspect that in Hollywood the simple answer is determined by the box office - how much money did the movie make?  In the case of Top Gun Maverick there are $1.493 Billion reasons to consider it a blockbuster.  This long awaited sequel (35 years) that endured release delays (thanks to Covid) finally made it the big screen on May 27, 2022 and it did not disappoint.  It is everything we have grown to know and love about movies - big stars, excellent cinematography, an easy story to follow, and in some quirky way…relatable.  That’s right, relatable.  I suspect most of you reading this have not been a naval fighter jet aviator who had the privilege of participating in the Top Gun school.   Burt maybe you have found yourself coming up against the curb of expectations, rules and regulations, not to mention societal and familial norms that may have rubbed you the wrong way. And when you consider all of this you find a ...

  Every so often I have the good fortune of being asked to preview a movie for a Hollywood Studio - call it a perk of having a weekly podcast called “Christ, Culture, and Cinema.”  The Hollywood studios don’t typically come knocking on my door for the next horror movie or thriller…but, when it brushes up against the Christian faith, they must figure a podcast that starts with the word “Christ” might have something to say about the movie.  Now to be honest, my partner Michael Popp and I are typically open to every genre of movie and usually avoid the Christian themed movies - maybe we don’t want to be accused of picking “low hanging fruit” for our podcast.  But when asked to watch a movie in advance, Michael and I are all in!  Well, maybe Michael and I need to start paying more attention to movies like Praise This .   Set in the backdrop of Atlanta and the large non-denominational African American churches - as well as the hip hop and rap music scene, this m...