Unpop Culture

Ms. Doucouré: Even though I have grave concerns over your feature-length debut, I am also troubled by the overt hatred you have received since Netflix picked up Cuties for mass distribution. The uncharitable names you’ve been given, the perverted motives imputed to you, and the death threats you have received are wholly inappropriate. They are tantamount to violence against both your humanity and the God who created you with dignity and value. I recently discovered an interview in which you shared from your heart the catalyst for writing and directing Cuties . Several things you said resonated with me: “Our girls see that the more a woman is overly sexualized on social media, the more she’s successful. And the children just imitate what they see trying to achieve the same result without understanding the meaning. And yeah, it’s dangerous.” “…isn’t the objectification of a woman’s body that we often see in our Western culture not another kind of oppression?” “I think all togethe...

It’s not every day you get to hear a VeggieTales character read one of your articles out loud. Okay, so it was actually Phil Vischer (the voice of Bob the Tomato) who highlighted my recent piece, If You’re Fighting the Culture War, You’re Losing . More on that in a moment. In the article, published at The Gospel Coalition, I ask this question: “Is a warlike posture the proper response to an increasingly anti-Christian society?” The problem with the culture-war approach is not that it (rightly) discerns opposition from the world. The problem is in the chosen mode of response.   By embracing the culture-war paradigm, many Christians adopt—likely inadvertently—an “all’s fair in love and war” perspective. After all, in a war you don’t turn the other cheek; you strike back as hard, or harder, than your opponent. That’s how wars are won. . . .   To engage with our culture in a militant and hostile manner is to forsake our role as ambassadors. It’s trading our diplomatic ...

I don’t typically include a synopsis in my movie reviews, and this will be no exception—in part because there is no adequate way to describe the plot of Tenet without simultaneously explaining too much and failing to explain enough. Let’s just delve into the review. As a reminder, I rate movies based on three criteria: objectionable Content (C), Artistic merit (A), and my personal Preference (P). (C-A-P. Get it?) CONTENT (C): 9 out of 10 Nolan’s films are often dark, and certain characters, actions, and plot elements of Tenet are no exception. Nevertheless, the filmmaker shows a great deal of restraint, hinting at the evil of its villains without being gratuitous or sadistic. Take, for example, Andrei Sator, the main antagonist played with calculating coldness by Kenneth Branagh. Sator oozes menace, but mostly through words, facial expressions, and body language. Abuse and violence are often hinted at, but blood and gore are virtually non-existent. Tenet is a great example of how h...

There’s a saying that goes something like this: “You don’t fully appreciate something until it’s gone.” An opposite and equal truth is this: “Sometimes you don’t fully recognize your need for something until it appears.” Prince Naveen discovered that Tiana was what he never knew he needed . Narnia fans don’t know what they’re missing until they discover scholar Michael Ward’s findings about Lewis’ “secrets.” And I never knew I needed Avatar: The Last Airbender in my life until my wife introduced the show to me.* Yes, sometimes you don’t fully recognize your need for something until it appears. In the particular case of this blog post, the “you” is Christian parents, and the “something” is the book The Pop Culture Parent . With the combined insights of its three co-authors (one whom I know personally , one whom I know online , and one whom I stalk online ), this resource explores a much-neglected facet of parenting: engaging popular culture with and for your children. In a soc...