The RevViewers

Love Actually

I feel it in my fingers...it's time for another RevView!
In this episode, Paul and Ben close out the Advent season with a more modern holiday classic from across the pond, Love Actually. Join them as they search for God in the film's interwoven narratives reflecting love at Christmas. Could there be a more appropriate theme for the season?!

Home Alone

Fricka, Fracka, Fracka, Frick!
Kevin McAlister is home alone for Christmas, but that doesn't mean God isn't there! Join Paul and Ben as they search for the holy in this holiday classic and explore a wealth of spiritual themes, as well as the painful science of an iron hitting maximum velocity on its way to your face.
Enjoy the show, and keep the change, ya filthy animal!

A Christmas Story

We TRIPLE DOG DARE you to join us in searching for God in the beloved 1983 Christmas classic, A Christmas Story.
In this episode, the RevViewers mine Paul's favorite Christmas movie of all time for a wealth of spiritual truths, including how Ralphie models childlike faith and how maybe, just maybe, this film is so powerful because its structure reflects that of the gospels, themselves! If that isn't reason enough to listen, you can also hear about Paul's most embarrassing triple dog dare and the time Ben "pulled a Schwartz" on his buddy, Edward.
This episode brought to you by Ovaltine.

Christmas Vacation

Hallelujah! Holy...RevViewers!
Honorary Griswolds Ben and Paul are back just in time for the Advent season, and they're looking for God in one of the greatest Christmas movies ever made, 1989's comedy classic, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. So drive on up in the RV, bring your jelly of the month, and join these superfans as they compare Cousin Eddie and John the Baptist, ponder Clark Griswold's fitness as a patriarch for the faith, and have fun turning the film's classic one-liners into sermons in a new game called, "The Gospel According to Christmas Vacation."
Play ball!

Episode 08 - Jurassic Park

Hold on to your butts!
This week, Ben and Paul blast back a couple million years to find God in a world where dinosaurs and humans collide. What messages are there to "dig up" in a story about unchecked human ability and life's stubborn willingness to find a way? Tune in to find out!

Episode 07 - Top Gun (Both of Them!)

Talk to me, Goose!
There's one movie soaring high above all others in the cultural zeitgeist right now, and it's Top Gun: Maverick. This week, Paul and Ben RevView both the original film and it's 36-year-in-the-making sequel. So strap on your helmets, buckle up, and get ready to fly toward some heavenly insight as we search for God in the Top Gun universe!

Episode 06 - Beaches

God's been found on the shore plenty of times before, so who's to say we can't find the Divine in the 1988 tear-jerker, Beaches?
To help us in our search, we've swapped Ben out for Rev. Kristen Tucker, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Smithfield, North Carolina. Tune in to hear the RevViewers discuss why this movie gives many "the feels," what "Bernedoodle" means, and why Bette Midler might just be a metaphor for the Holy Spirit (like it isn't obvious!).

Episode 05 - Saving Private Ryan

Happy Memorial Day!
To do their part in remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the RevViewers are looking at Steven Spielberg's classic 1998 hit, Saving Private Ryan. Paul and Ben talk about how the film naturally causes us to think about themes like sacrifice, grace, and the chaos of war. Plus, a "peek behind the podcast curtain" at the end reveals how the duo needed the help of Paul's wife to pick their next film to RevView!

Episode 04 - The Batman

Riddle me this...What gritty crimefighter is the subject of a recently released mega-blockbuster film? What superhero's mythos consistently invites spiritually-minded fans to chew on themes of dark and light, truth, justice, vengeance, and hope? What caped crusader may or may not be on at least one pair of your favorite pastoral podcast hosts' pajamas?
BATMAN!!!
This week, Ben and Paul, hosting as the excited, 8-year-old versions of themselves, dive deep into the Dark Knight's latest cinematic showing in Matt Reeve's The Batman. Where does God show up in Gotham? Listen in and find out!

Episode 03 - Encanto

For those who didn't love Diana: The Musical, this week brings a refreshing palate cleanser with Disney's Encanto! Ben and Paul dive deep on the family Madrigal (including the members "We Don't Talk About...") and discuss what this colorful, fun family film has to say about gifts, congregations, and families, themselves. Rewards for listening include hearing the RevViewers' shared movie-watching confession, and an Elton John-inspired alter ego from Ben's past. Enjoy!