The Odyssey is still selling out IMAX screenings six weeks after its release. People are hungry for escape and they want that escape on the biggest screen possible. But Christopher Nolan has more on his mind than just entertainment. The movie is its own Trojan horse. We’re lured in by the eye-popping visuals, only to find wisdom at every step of the journey.

What can a 3,000-year-old poem have to teach us in 2026? In Nolan’s hands, quite a lot. Odysseus’s journey has often been used as a prototype for spiritual insight. Nolan continues that tradition. As a feat of pure filmmaking, The Odyssey is extraordinary. An epic feast for the senses. But it’s the relatable themes underneath the surface that provide us our true nourishment.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss 2026’s box office explosion, Christopher Nolan’s best movies, Tim’s World Series prediction, Stephen King’s The Long Walk, annoying movie theater audiences, 3,000-year-old Dadcore, Kevin Smith’s Tusk, Jon’s TV picks, recasting The Odyssey, the evolution of Odysseus, Richard Rohr on the two halves of life, Zeus’s Law vs. Jesus’s Law, the cost of violence, doing evil to accomplish good, the need for spiritual mentorship, and our universal search for home.

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Steven Spielberg is one of the best filmmakers of all time. Jaws, E.T. Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan are bona fide classics. But it’s also true that Spielberg hasn’t made a great movie in decades. Why? How can an artist go from making masterpieces to turning out mediocrity?

Disclosure Day is Spielberg’s latest sup-par entry to his filmography. The movie follows Margaret (Emily Blunt) and Daniel (Josh O’Connor), two strangers connected by a mysterious force who seek to expose the hidden truth that aliens exist. The first half is very good, but eventually the movie succumbs to the familiar flaws we’ve come to expect from a filmmaker whose best days are behind him.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss whether aliens exist, Jake Gyllenhaal’s face, Elona Holmes on Netflix, courtroom dramas, the weekly spectacle of House of the Dragon, Jude Law’s hair loss, Jon’s theater encounter, the benefits of a Stubs membership, crawfish aliens, theater seating, Tim’s Mary Poppins crush, why artists get worse as they age, Spielberg’s best alien movie, human connection in an age of machines, the AI takeover, and the increasing value of empathy.

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When Kane Parsons was a teenager he posted videos to YouTube. A few years later he became the youngest director in A24 history. Welcome to the revolution taking Hollywood by storm.

Movie studios love a built-in audience and that’s exactly what YouTube provides. Curry Barker had millions of followers on YouTube, so Focus Features gave him a chance to direct Obsession. The movie cost $750,000 to make and has grossed $374 Million worldwide. Kane Parsons gained a following on YouTube with his eerie Backrooms videos, so A24 offered him the chance to direct the feature film version. The movie cost $10 Million to make and has grossed $330 Million worldwide. Loyal YouTube followers translate to loyal movie patrons, officially making YouTube a viable path to Hollywood stardom.

Backrooms follows a man named Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who is stuck in a dead-end job and destructive patterns. One day he discovers a maze-like universe of hallways and doors in the basement of his furniture store. He makes it his mission to explore these Backrooms. But he soon discovers that the maze keeps changing and something sinister lurks in the shadows.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss surviving a cult, praying for their listeners, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, chaperoning kids, the YouTube to Hollywood movement, the directorial debut of Kane Parsons, HBO’s The Dark Wizard, a listener e-mail, lizards and Bob Seger, breaking free of our patterns, where our value comes from, and the God who redeems all that is broken.

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Sam Raimi is best known for the Evil Dead franchise which established his signature dance between horror and comedy. Send Help is a welcome return to those roots. It’s a thrill ride first and foremost, but with just enough Raimi-isms to keep us from taking things too seriously.

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) is a hard worker chasing a promotion, but the power to promote lies in the hands of her smarmy boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) who would rather give it to his friends. Everything changes, however, when Linda and Bradley crash-land on a deserted island during a business trip. Suddenly Bradley’s life is in Linda’s hands because of her survival skills. What will she do with her newfound power?

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss Marty Supreme, American narcissism, toxic bosses, the Evil Dead franchise, negotiating at the car dealership, Tim’s sea captain fantasies, Survivor fans, the underrated Rachel McAdams, Jon’s streaming compromises, more hate for Avatar, the excesses of the rich, the inhumanity of our politics, loving your enemies, the way power corrupts, and the third way of Jesus.

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Christopher Miller and Phil Lord are best known for The Lego Movie. But they’re also known for something more: making movies that appeal to everyone. That’s a hard task, but it’s exactly what we need right now in our polarized age. Miller and Lord have brought the masses to the movies with Project Hail Mary and reminded us once again that we’re all in this together.

The sun is dying from a mysterious black substance and the only plan left is a Hail Mary. Two astronauts and a scientist will travel deep into space to the only star not affected and try to send back a cure. However, when the scientist Ryland (Ryan Gosling) wakes up after his long journey, his crew mates are dead and it’s up to him alone to preserve earth. Luckily he’s not actually alone. Ryland encounters an alien named Rocky who was sent on the same mission. Ryland and Rocky must work together to find a cure and save their species.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss their favorite alien movies, HBO’s The Pitt, sneaking candy into movie theaters, Jon’s first watch of The King of Comedy, the Artemis II mission, Ryan Gosling’s movie star appeal, Tim’s love for Mac and Me, hating on Armageddon, sacrificing for our neighbor, the death of shared truth, caring for the planet, the allure of fundamentalism, simplifying our lives, and figuring out how to live with the aliens among us.

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The Oscars were on March 15 which means another year of film is officially over. Before moving on, Jon and Tim take a look back at all the highlights the year had to offer. They begin with the Oscars and what the Academy did and didn’t get right this time. And then they touch on each movie from Cinema Faith’s finalized top ten list of the year.

Join us as we say goodbye to 2025!

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The Oscar nominations are out and Sentimental Value is up for nine of them. That’s the most nominations ever for a Norwegian film, and the honors are richly deserved. It’s a work of art about the power of art itself to bridge what divides us and heal generational wounds.

Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård) is a successful film director, but an unsuccessful father who abandoned his daughters at a young age. He’s now trying to make up for his wrongs in the only way he knows how — by making a movie.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss getting older, the Golden Globe awards, Jon’s hatred for Avatar, two great FX shows, why Timothée Chalamet will win an Oscar this year, how we’ve wrongly demonized the Predator, Tim’s love for Peter Weir, Stellan Starsgård’s standout performance, meditative movies in a fast-paced culture, the wounds of abandonment, and expressing the inexpressible through art.

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I’ve always hated Shakespeare with a passion. Why watch a play if you can’t understand what the characters are saying? Hamnet changed that for good. Not only is the movie sure to be nominated in every major Oscar category, it might just bring about the Shakespeare revival we didn’t know we needed.

Writer/Director Chloé Zhao wisely eschews the traditional biopic treatment, choosing instead to focus on William Shakespeare’s family life. Specifically a tragedy that may have been the inspiration for his play Hamlet. We’re so engrossed by the characters (led by career best performances from Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley) that we forget we’re even watching a movie about Shakespeare until the final act. It’s that very humanity that gives his art a newfound relevance.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss how to pronounce Pirates of the Caribbean, the Quentin Tarantino/Paul Dano controversy, the communal theater experience, Tim’s application to be Santa, silence in an age of noise, Paul Mescal’s unique take on the character, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, college roommate stories, the pain of losing a child, Jon’s New Year’s Resolution, Jessie Buckley’s performance of the year, sharing grief with strangers, and the enduring power of Shakespeare’s art.

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There’s always a movie that flies under the radar only to end up being one of the best of the year. Sorry, Baby claims the title for 2025. The film was released in June to little fanfare. The critics took notice, but not many others. Hopefully a second run on HBO will finally bring the audience it deserves.

The subject matter is grim, but the movie is anything but. Eva Victor stars, writes, and directs a story about a woman sexually assaulted by her grad school professor. Yet the film overflows with warmth, beauty, humor, and redemption. It’s an astonishing achievement, especially considering this is Victor’s feature film debut.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss the things they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving, Tim Robinson’s HBO show, the at-home matinee, Apple TV’s The Studio, the beauty of friendship, society’s response to trauma, the intricacy of sexual expression, men holding men accountable, the eternal youth of Lucas Hedges, the aftermath of sexual assault, following a God who walked in our shoes, the true meaning of justice, and loving your neighbor in the midst of their suffering.

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Paul Thomas Anderson may be the best director working today. His career as a writer/director transcends genre and convention with unique stories and characters every time he steps behind the lens. But how does One Battle After Another stand up to his previous work?

Anderson’s latest depicts a fight against fascism set in a world where white supremacists have taken over the levers of power. Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a young revolutionary against the oppressors joined by his girlfriend Perfidia (Teyana Taylor). But unbeknownst to him, Perfidia is cheating on him with a leader of the fascists, Colonel Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn). In the midst of both relationships, a baby is born. That baby grows up to become the central conflict of the story as Bob and Col. Lockjaw battle each other for the daughter they both believe belongs to them.

Join Jon and Tim as they discuss the joys of glamping, Jon’s birthday extravaganza, the Death Star Dodgers, Evan Peters as Dahmer, Tim’s fear of Daniel Day-Lewis, Sharon Stone in Casino, Halloween horror recommendations, Paul Thomas Anderson’s filmography, HBO’s Task, why younger generations don’t connect with Leo, great performances by unknown actresses, the Dexter reboot, Sean Penn’s life and career, the explosion of Dadcore, how to battle fascism, whether violence is necessary for revolution, and why the most important work against injustice often happens behind the scenes. 

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